News Post

Five St. Joseph’s Academy seniors spent three weeks in June exploring different career options in medicine through the Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center’s A-HEC of a Summer program. 

Mallory Caro, Chloé Khuri, Constance Cook, Daniela Latil and Mia Colbert rotated through various hospital departments and shadowed practicing healthcare professionals. They obtained firsthand knowledge about a variety of healthcare fields, learned about health issues and patient care, gained CPR certification, practiced taking vital signs, attended interactive workshops and enjoyed field trips.

Seventeen hospitals across the region participated in this summer’s program, including Ochsner Medical Center, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. The program is a state-accredited elective course, and students earn a half-unit of high school elective credit upon successful completion.

Caro said she most enjoyed shadowing Dr. Lambert Laperouse, an emergency medicine physician. Prior to this experience, she was leaning towards pediatric neurology as a career. “But he changed my whole view on what I thought I wanted to be,” she said. “How he ran everything and treated everyone really inspired me. He truly changed the way I view medicine. He showed me that it is not about going in and simply diagnosing someone or giving them medicine and leaving. He took the time to personally check on patients and do things for them and truly was very considerate of everyone around him. I am now considering being an emergency medicine doctor. I loved this program and the relationships I came to make through it.” 

Latil said she shadowed medical professionals in radiology, oncology and central processing. She learned about the responsibilities and roles of each, gained medical knowledge, worked closely with the doctors and interacted with patients. “Before this program, I steered away from the medical field, deciding I did not want to follow the pre-med track to becoming a doctor,” she said. “But after spending June in this program, I became very motivated to learn more about the medical field, whether that be working as a doctor or on the research side of the field. Seeing how these employees care so much about the patients at the hospital and how determined they are to help them is so inspiring. This program was such an incredible experience.”

Colbert said that going into the program, she was interested in obstetrics/gynecology and dentistry. She enjoyed shadowing healthcare workers in the operating room, acute mental health department and the chaplain department, among others. “After my three weeks at OLOL, my interests in the healthcare field slightly changed, because my morning rotations showed me my likes and dislikes in my future career path,” she said. “As a result, I am currently interested in dentistry still and physical therapy. Even if my interests change, I know I want to be a part of the healthcare field in some way. In my three weeks in the program, I gained the experience of a lifetime. I am so grateful I was selected.” 

Khuri said the A-HEC program was life changing. From visiting departments throughout the facility to watching surgeries, participating in workshops and listening to guest speakers, she said it was a blessing to be exposed to the type of work environment she’s been interested in since she was in first grade. “My group got very close, and we were reluctant to leave each other at the end of summer,” she said. “I can proudly say that through this program, I am now certified to pack wounds in case of an emergency, provide basic life support in both a public and hospital setting, and I can take patient vitals. This program truly confirmed my love of medicine and struck an excitement for the future in my heart. I am thankful to the A-HEC staff for choosing me to participate.” 

Cook participated in the program at the Our Lady of the Lake-Ascension Hospital. She enjoyed helping nurses with their daily duties. “I learned so much about working in a hospital environment,” she said. “One thing that I enjoyed the most was getting to interact directly with patients. I was also able to talk to so many doctors and nurses who gave me invaluable advice about college, medical school and work.
After doing this, my thoughts about a potential field in healthcare have definitely been strengthened, as I enjoyed spending my time helping in the hospital and can’t wait to be able to help as a doctor. I really enjoyed this opportunity and would encourage anyone considering it to go for it.” 

Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director    

Photos courtesy of Chloe Khuri