Students from The RSEC Academy visited and toured medical offices in Manchester and Bedford, New Hampshire as part of the school’s career day exploration activities. With the help and guidance of internist Dr. Belinda Castor, students visited Queen City Medical Associates, and Catholic Medical Center’s (CMC) rehabilitation and urgent care centers.
Career Day is part of The RSEC Academy’s focus on experiential education, where high school students work to overcome learning challenges in a supportive environment, so they become independent learners with strong literacy skills. Along with exploring different medical careers, students paid attention to the aspects of the different work environments and communication strategies used within the medical facilities.
Students started the day by meeting Dr. Castor at Queen City Medical Associates where they toured the facility. Dr. Castor spoke about professionalism within the medical field, discussed the different types of outpatient practices, and introduced students to thinking about different career options within the medical field.
Students then visited CMC’s rehabilitation center, where they met with members of CMC’s physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech language pathology (SPT) teams. Students then visited CMC’s Urgent Care center and met a nurse manager, radiology technician, an interning x-ray technician from the New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI), and the manager of the medical office. These professionals spoke about their career and types of schooling or job training that they had to complete to practice in the field.
After a morning of learning, students traveled to Catholic Medical Center’s main campus and enjoyed lunch in the hospital’s cafeteria, where students were met with limitless food options. After lunch, Dr. Castor gave the students a mini tour of the hospital, during which a baby was born. Students learned that every time a child is born at the hospital’s maternity department, the hospital plays a short lullaby over the intercom.
To wrap up the day, students returned to Queen City Medical Associates to hear from a physician’s assistant (PA) and a phlebotomist.
Dr. Castor, with the help of her son, Florin Castor, created gift bags complete with a first aid kit, vanilla-flavored lip balm, a CMC pen and magnet in a vibrant red pouch with a carabiner clip.
In addition to touring the different practices, Dr. Castor showed students that there are numerous professions within the medical field that could appeal to a wide range of interests. Some medical professions require extensive time, schooling and commitment to higher education, while others are more focused on technical training and continuing education.
The RSEC Academy and its students would like to thank Dr. Castor and the team at Queen City Medical Associates and CMC for sharing insights about medical careers and the diverse opportunities available within the field.
To learn more about The RSEC Academy High School and the many unique services it offers students, visit rsec.org or call Janet Reed, director, at 603-673-6656. For more information about Queen city Medical Associates, please visit catholicmedicalcenter.org.
