What is the purpose of the club?
Future Health Leaders is a mixed grade-level club that offers students interested in going into the medical field the opportunity to connect and network with medical professionals, as well as get hands-on experience. Spring Lake science teacher Heather Gannon advises the club and reaches out to numerous physicians to come and speak to the group, ranging from physical therapists, to surgeons, to nurses and more.
“If you’re at all interested in any part of the medical field, show up. Even if you’re not interested in the physical therapy person that’s coming, they can answer other questions that you might have. You might learn about something or a specific career path that you weren’t aware of,” Gannon said.
What events do you put on?
Besides bringing in guest speakers, the Future Health Leaders Club takes a yearly field trip to the Grand Valley State University Simulation Center. At the simulation center, students are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience performing a wide variety of medical tasks. The Simulation Center contains a mock operation room, patient suite and assessment labs. A hit among students is the patient simulators, which imitate real patients with illnesses.
One thing that Gannon would like to implement in future years is a job shadowing opportunities for students to get the full experience of what it is like to work in the medical field. She is encouraging students to reach out to medical professionals and inquire about a chance to job shadow.
How do I join?
The Future Health Leaders club does not meet on a regular basis, so if you are interested in joining, stop by Heather Gannon’s Room 530, or email her at [email protected]
