Touro career fair introduces teens to medical fields

By Sarah Rohrs
Posted: 05/06/2010 01:01:07 AM PDT

Nursing and medicine is on the horizon for Jesse Bethel High School junior Kirandeep Kaur, who found lots of information and a world of possibilities Wednesday during a Touro University career fair.

Scores of local high school students got the basics about a dozen medical fields they might want to pursue, including information on courses they need to focus on now, and how many years of college they will need.

A leg injury while playing soccer and the physical therapy that followed inspired another Jesse Bethel junior, Tiffany Norwood, to choose medicine to study after graduation.

"This is good because a lot of students are not familiar with Touro," Hogan High School counselor Dwayne Jones said. "There's a lot of careers out Tiffany Norwood and Jade Harris, center, both from Bethel High School, get a close look at a prosthetic arm as Mark Turner works the hand controls during a job fair for careers in public health at Touro University on Wednesday.

Those choosing health and medical fields likely will find good jobs as some of the fastest-growing careers in Solano County are in health care, according to Touro literature given to teens.

Numerous Touro students helped out with the fair, and high school students from Hogan, Jesse Bethel, MIT Academy and Liberty High School in Benicia attended.

In interactive displays teens learned how to build casts for prosthetic arms and legs, take blood pressure, and cast ear mold impressions for hearing aids. They also were shown how to diagnose an epidemic outbreak and replace splints and wraps.

Mare Island Technology senior Deton Burton closely studied an interactive display on paramedic services and emergency care, a field he said he hopes to pursue.

Physician Assistant Program Analyst Julie Chaples said one event goal was to encourage minorities to choose health care because these groups tend to be underrepresented in numerous medical fields.

Second year Masters of Public Health student Megan Christophersen said she hoped the fair gave teens ideas about how to improve family and community health.

Another student Natalia Dafaeeboini said she would like local youth to take advantage of Touro University being in their own town, and consider visiting and even enrolling there in its various master's degree programs.