Most young teenagers don’t really know what career they will want as an adult.

Fourteen-year-old Hanna Napier is an exception.

The incoming Seymour High School freshman is confidently planning a career in medicine and more specifically as a cardiovascular surgeon, she said.

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When Napier heard about Schneck Medical Center’s Health Career Discovery program, she signed up to gain a better understanding of how to reach her future career goals.

For five days last week, she and other middle school and high school students from Jackson County and surrounding counties, including Bartholomew, Jennings, Scott and Washington, have spent time at the Seymour hospital learning about and experiencing the many areas of healthcare.

In all, around 20 students attended regularly, said Jaclyn Williams, human resources generalist at Schneck.

Although it required them to get up each morning and spend three hours listening, observing and asking questions, Napier said it was well worth it.

“It’s been awesome,” Napier said. “I’ve loved every minute.”

The students got to take behind the scenes tours of the hospital and cancer center, where they learned about all the different departments and people who make the hospital operate.

One of the most interesting aspects for Napier was when they went to the cancer center.

“They have this machine where you put it on your hand, and it shows you all the veins in your arm. I was like that is the coolest thing,” she said.

They started with respiratory care, learned about the procedures and importance of sterile processing and heard from a physician’s assistant. Day 2 focused on labor and delivery, obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics.

On the third day, they were introduced to diagnostic imaging and surgical services. On the fourth day, they toured the hospital laboratory and rehabilitation services and ended the week with emergency services and a panel discussion on why healthcare is a good career choice.

Throughout the week, the students also learned about the hospital’s tuition assistance program and about opportunities to continue their education through Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus and Ivy Tech Community College.

On Thursday, the students were treated to a special simulation code to see, hear and feel what it’s like to respond to an emergency.

After watching a brief video reenactment of a teenager driving her vehicle into cold water, becoming submerged and drowning, the students got to observe how a team of doctors, nurses and other staff would react if the girl had been brought to Schneck.

To make the scenario as realistic as possible, the hospital used one of its simulation robots. At one point, they even brought in Kathy Nelson, hospital experience coordinator, to play the role of the mom.

It was difficult for some of the students to watch as the team performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the “girl” to try to save her. But it was a lesson in how stressful the job can be and how everyone has to work together.

“I liked how they all worked so hard, and there wasn’t a minute where they weren’t doing something to help,” Napier said.

Robin Perry teaches a class at Brownstown Central High School on preparing for college and careers, and thought it would be a good idea to sit through the program so she could take some information back to her students.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to learn about different aspects of the hospital that you didn’t know about, and it’s good for them to see that it’s not like what they see on t.v.,” she said.

After the code simulation, students got to go up and try their own hand at performing CPR. Napier was first in line.

Besides the health career discovery program, Napier also has started volunteering at the hospital.

“I want all these experiences before I go to college,” she said. “Even if you don’t want to do healthcare, it’s just some good knowledge to have and honestly, it would look good on your resume.”

Although right now she wants to become a surgeon, Napier said that could change, because there are so many options in the medical field.

“There are so many jobs,” she said. “You think of it as just a doctor, but there is just so much more.”