Program gives students an inside look at working in a hospital — long before med school

By Brian Nordli

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014 | 2 a.m.

For as long as Erin Lagman can remember, she has wanted to be a doctor.

In high school she enrolled in the pre-medicine program at West Career and Technical Academy and took part in Southern Hills Hospital’s High School to Health Care.

Then she realized how many other jobs there are in a hospital.

Equipped with the confidence of extensive experience, she decided to switch plans at the end of high school and work toward becoming a pharmacist.

“If I wasn’t exposed to hospitals ... I wouldn’t even know of any other careers besides being a doctor,” Lagman said.

Lagman is now a sophomore at UNLV and in the thick of science classes. Organic chemistry has been tough — but her experience in High School to Health Care means she knows what to expect when she graduates.

Southern Hills Hospital CEO Kim Anderson started the program four years ago in partnership with West CTA to expose students to real jobs in the hospital. The semesterlong program begins with six weeks of presentations from professionals in different fields, then gives students the opportunity to shadow workers in the hospital.

The goal is to teach students about jobs in the health care field and foster future workers. So far, about 120 students have entered the program, Anderson said. Most enter interested in becoming pediatricians, but by the end, they realize how many other jobs they can choose from.

“The idea is to give them a feeling of different careers and opportunities that exist in health care and (let them) talk to people in those roles and ask questions,” Anderson said. “It’s been very rewarding.”

Lagman was in the program's first class.

Once a week, they watched a presentation on a different medical field. They learned about the doctors, of course, but also medical laboratory scientists who analyze bodily fluids, people who prepare food, and the rest of the cast that makes a hospital run. They even got to touch a placenta, which Lagman said felt like a slab of beef.

“It’s the things you don’t see that happen behind the doctors,” Lagman said.

Lagman said she thought twice about becoming a doctor after she realized it would take many years for her to reach a high level. Still, she wanted to help people and felt she could do that as a pharmacist. The high pay helped, too.

“They work with the community more than the doctors do,” Lagman said. “Anybody can come up to a pharmacist and ask them questions. ... You’re immediate help for anybody.”

She is also in the process of returning to Southern Hills to become a volunteer and will help work the Southern Hills Balloon Festival, which starts Friday.

She may not want to become a doctor anymore, but eventually, she hopes to become part of the staff that makes a hospital run.