Rarely do students interested in the health care field get to see what it’s really like to respond to an emergency medical situation.

But that’s exactly what Schneck Medical Center in Seymour made happen for a group of local middle and high school-aged students Thursday morning.

At first, the students thought they were just watching a video about a teenager who calls 911 after accidentally driving her car into high water. The young woman is unable to open the doors or break the windows, and in less than five minutes, the vehicle is submerged, and she is drowning.

After the video, Schneck employee Karen Werskey received a page and announced she had to respond to a critical “code” and hurried to the back of the auditorium.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

Click here to purchase photos from this gallery

The walls folded back to show hospital staff wheeling in a patient on a gurney and doctors, nurses and others working together to try to save her.

Although the patient was actually a robot, the simulation allowed staff to demonstrate what they would do if the teenager who was trapped in her vehicle underwater for 20 minutes had been brought to the Schneck emergency department.

Dr. Grant Olsen took the lead and delivered orders while nurses performed chest compressions to try to get the patient’s heart beating again and a respiratory therapist intubated her to help get air into her lungs.

It was a tense and emotional situation to watch, with one hospital employee, Kathy Nelson, playing the role of the girl’s mother. In the end, the “patient” didn’t survive. It’s an outcome those in the medical field have to face at some point in their careers.

After the exercise, those who participated stayed to explain their roles and also what they do on a daily basis at the hospital and how many years of school and specialized training they’ve had to complete for their jobs.

The simulation code exercise was part of the hospital’s annual free Health Career Discovery program. Between 40 and 50 students spent each morning this week experiencing different areas of health care and visiting various departments at the hospital.

Participating students came from Seymour, Brownstown, Crothersville and Medora in Jackson County, North Vernon in Jennings County, Salem in Washington County and Austin and Scottsburg in Scott County.

On Monday, the group learned about sterile processing, infection prevention and surgical services with Drs. Andy and Amanda Dick. Tuesday was an opportunity to tour the cancer center and labor and delivery area of the hospital. They also had the chance to explore the field of obstetrics and gynecology and watch an OB ultrasound be performed.

Other areas included diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation services, emergency medical services and marketing. A group of Ivy Tech Community College students pursuing degrees in nursing and other areas of health care also spoke and answered questions about enrolling in dual credit classes and what high school students can do to prepare for college.

Angie Ramsey, safety and outreach coordinator with human resources, organizes the exploratory program.

“Our hopes in providing this free program to the students is that they can learn more about what health care careers are out there and what’s available to them and plan for their future,” she said. “And it can also show them maybe if health care isn’t for them.”

The Health Career Discovery program looks good on students’ college applications and work resumes, too.

“This is all experience that they are learning and gaining for their futures,” she said. “I wish I had done something like this back in school.”

The program also has a value to the hospital, Ramsey said.

“For us, it’s a recruiting tool,” she said. “We’re reaching these kids to gain future employees.”

That was the case for Stacy East, a registered nurse who has worked at Schneck for 19 years. She was involved in the career discovery program when she was in middle school.

Back then, it was called Medical Explorers and was sponsored by the Boy Scouts. Now, East’s 13-year-old daughter, Emilee East, is finding out more about health care through the program.

“I kind of want to be a physical therapist,” Emilee said.

Being involved in sports, Emilee said she likes the idea of learning more about sports injuries and helping athletes, so it was no surprise her favorite area of the hospital was the new rehabilitation services department.

“And I liked getting to see the simulation, too,” she said.

Stacy East had the opportunity to be one of the guest speakers this week on the topic of infection prevention. She has enjoyed being able to talk with Emilee about what she has learned and experienced each day.

“I just hope she sees what the different options are in medicine,” Stacy said. “I think she has been able to see that she doesn’t have to do just physical therapy. There are all kinds of rehab stuff she could do, and even if she doesn’t decide to do rehab, there are all kinds of other opportunities in health care.”

Aaron Fernandez, 14, just moved to Brownstown from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in October and will be a freshman at Brownstown Central High School this school year.

He is participating in the hospital’s Junior Volunteer summer program and helps elderly patients and those recovering from surgery get up and eat breakfast.

There are currently 86 students volunteering at the hospital. Besides Junior Volunteers, the hospital also offers job shadowing and school-to-work experiences for high school students and clinical rotation experiences for college students.

By signing up for the Health Career Discovery classes, Fernandez has had the opportunity to experience more in the health care field, he said.

“It’s a good experience to learn something new and to help out people,” he said. “I really enjoy it because I learn new things every day.”

Watching Thursday’s simulation made him realize how hard it is to be a doctor.

Fernandez said he wants to be a physical therapist so he can help people recover from their injuries, feel better and improve their lives.

He also liked getting to see how MRIs and CAT scans are done.

“I thought that was really cool,” he said.