Dragon Echo Staff
Emergency service providers from Nacogdoches County EMS, Nacogdoches Fire & Rescue, PHI 11 of Lufkin, and Air Rescue 2 out of Crockett visited Nacogdoches High School Friday to meet students enrolled in health science classes, and to educate them about career options in the health field.
Health Sciences teacher Coy Van Valkenburgh said Emergency Services Day was something that they did at her previous school, and students were always anxiously awaiting this day of the year.
“I got to talking with a friend who is a flight nurse, and a former NHS graduate, who spoke with our students last year about wanting to bring this to our students at NHS,” Mrs. Van Valkenburg said. “She got the connections in place and the ball rolling.”
Health science students in 9th-12th grades were invited to attend the event.
“I want the kids to be able to connect with the medical professionals and get a better understanding of the things they are learning in the classroom,” Mrs. Van Valkenburgh said. “I want them to see the different roles that each emergency response team plays and how they all intertwined to work together as a team for their patients and our community. I hope the kids get excited about their future in the health field and are opened up to even more possibilities for their future.”
Senior Chloe Robbins said her favorite part of the event was hearing the stories from the paramedics.
“They told us about some of their calls,” she said. “One of them said he didn’t like delivering babies, because it’s too messy.”
Chloe said the event benefitted students, because it allowed them to put themselves in the shoes of the professionals they met.
Mrs. Van Valkenburg said she thinks events like this have the biggest influence on students.
“They want, and need, to hear the real life stories of how the professionals got to where they are now,” she said. “There are so many times that they may hear a story of someone who comes from the same background and challenges that they do, and it can spark a fire that they never thought was there. I think it also shows many students the good, the bad, and the ugly, which can help students think about the bigger picture of what they think they want to do before it’s too late to go a different direction.”
Mrs. Van Valkenburg said she hoped students would take away as much as they could from the event and take advantage of the different opportunities that are at NHS for them.
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