As part of the Career Exploration Program, students experienced the Decontamination Tent at JKF Hospital’s Disaster Drill day

On May 22nd on the campus of Dr. Carreon Academy, the scenario was a toxic chemical spill. On May 23rd, students and teachers survived a campus bomb threat.

These two mock scenarios were the basis of JFK Memorial Hospital’s Pediatric Disaster Drill as part of a Career Explorations Program. Co-sponsored by the hospital, the Dr. Carreon Foundation, and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP), the Career Explorations Program promotes health care careers to 5th Grade students through the Academy’s medical magnet program.

The students learned about the hospital’s history (Dr. Carreon’s vision and donation of land), and assumed the roles of victims, hospital Disaster Team staff, and parents as they moved through the hospital’s training drill process. The tour included a Decontamination Tent, K-9 Police Dog demonstration, a ride in an ambulance, and a walk through a medical rescue helicopter.

Students gained exposure to the hospital’s Incident Command Center, and a variety of career opportunities in the health and allied health fields, as they donned vests and shadowed department heads in specific disaster drill roles.

The goal of this work-based learning activity is to motivate students to consider:

Pursuing additional coursework, volunteer and internship opportunities in these fields;
Enrolling in a higher educational institution for continued training and education in this growing industry cluster; and
Applying for scholarships from participating organizations to assist in the pursuit of careers in health care locally.

As students learn about protective measures that medical staff and community emergency teams put in place, they come to understand and appreciate these agencies. Furthermore, the fear of such events is demystified through the demonstration of this knowledge in action.

Mentor of the Month Linda Evans of JFK Memorial Hospital’s Administrative staff coordinated and led the event on site. Thank you to all of the JFK Memorial Hospital department personnel for positively impacting our future health care workforce and Dr. Carreon Academy teachers in this annual event!

For more information contact Sheila Thornton [email protected] or @ 760-799-4137; Donna Sturgeon [email protected] or 760-861-8288.