Area junior and senior high school students recently enjoyed an experience called the Health Career Exploration Academy, which is jointly sponsored by Indian Hills Community College and the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation. The Health Career Exploration Academy is open to high school students who have an interest in pursuing a career in healthcare. The goal of the program is to help students choose or solidify a healthcare career area as well understand the many processes related to finding, financing and achieving the education needed for that career. The program hopes to recruit students to healthcare careers regardless of where they choose to go to college. Both Indian Hills and the Legacy Foundation understand the acute need that exists here in Southeast Iowa for dozen of types of healthcare providers including doctors, nurse practitioners, and occupational therapists to name a few.
This year’s students participated in a week long program held at Indian Hills July 24-28 with additional college visit site dates of August 2nd and 9th. During the program students participated in a wide range of activities including a variety of hands on experiences with medical procedures and equipment, speaking with current healthcare professionals and students about their career paths, investigating college programs and career pathways for various healthcare professions, financial aid workshops, locating and applying for scholarships, and field trips to area universities/medical schools. Participant Kayla Davidson had the following to say about the program, “All around this program has supported me in choosing a career in health sciences and has given me the insight I need to be successful in attending college as debt free as possible.”
The twenty students participating in the Health Career Exploration Academy this year include: 
Christian Wells, Maizie Reed, Lacey Smith, Alexis Harrington, Cassandra Sparkman, Ryleigh Wages, Brittney Teno, Anthony Castle, Jayden Chickering, Hollie Loper, Shannon Saeger, Dalton Rippey, Katie Jones, Devyn Redmann, Delanie Vorhies, Kassidy Verrips, Shaley Finley, Audrey Smith, Kayla Davidson and Bethany Smith.
For more information on the program, please contact Lori Reeves at Lori.Reeves@indianhills.edu.
