High School students are given the opportunity to explore the medical field

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The University of Mississippi Medical Center and Mississippi State held an event in the Colvard Student Union to educate high school students on careers in the medical field.

This weekend The University of Mississippi Medical Center and Mississippi State have teamed up to educate young minds about the medical field and what it has to offer.

Loretta Jackson-Williams, Vice Dean of Medical Education at UMMC says the goal is to allow these students to dive deeper into each course.

“We understand that our students go to college for the most part before they go to the medical center and we want to encourage our students to investigate the wonderful colleges that we have available,” said Williams.

Each student was assigned a group and learned about what each program has to offer starting from work lifestyle to the pay they could receive.

“The schools will let them know about the types of programs that they have a will let them know about the type of work that they do and the type of interactions that they have so that students get a full realization of health careers,” said Williams.

Williams also says that even though students may be set on what they want to do it’s still beneficial to keep their options open.

“Students change their minds even when students choose a health program we recognize that there’s a possibility that something may interest them a little bit more so we are encouraging the students to come with an open mind and to really consider all of the possibilities,” said Williams.

UMMC student Kristen Nalls believes this program gives students a better understanding of what the medical field has to offer.

“I feel like high school students don’t have a direction when it comes to what’s next and I think that gives them a chance to kind of start the path and prepare for that early to get that experience now. It’s not just the doctor that you go to in a family practice or the dentist that you see every 6 months there are so many other avenues to health care and other ways you can serve in the health care field,” said Nalls.

Students also received a goodie bag and a free meal voucher after the event for a job well done.