Sussex Academy future medical professionals get dose of hospital life

A group of 10 Sussex Academy juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing careers in healthcare recently got an in-depth tour of Nanticoke Memorial Hospital and its many departments.

Dr. Joseph Kim of the Nanticoke Physician Network led the group through many areas of the hospital, and took time to answer any questions they had about working in various aspects of the medical field.

“The students were amazed by the people they met, the sense of community they felt, and the wide variety of opportunities they viewed in the medical field,” said Debbie Fees, academic counselor at Sussex Academy.

Areas toured included the emergency department, cardiac catheterization lab, radiology, operating room, laboratory, intensive care unit, mother and baby care center, and progressive care unit. In the radiology department, students learned about different imaging machines and their many uses. Students later gowned up in operating room garb and were taken into the OR where they learned about complete care of surgical patients.

The tour concluded with a lunch provided by Nanticoke’s food services department, and a question-and-answer session with department leaders from several areas of the hospital.

“Becoming part of this field can at times seem impossible to a high school [student] like me, but [the tour] really opened my eyes to realize that it truly is what I want to do with my future,” said Cailey Murphy, a junior at Sussex Academy. “After the tour, I couldn’t think of anything else except how inspired and driven I felt from this experience!”