Nearly 1,300 students from 35 schools attend regional health career fair

Many high school students are undecided about their career goals. Others, like Ashley Lunsford, a student at Knox Central High School in Barbourville, have a clear understanding of what they want to be when they grow up.

Lunsford, who has her sights set on a career in nursing, is already working to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and was excited to learn more about how she could advance her career at a healthcare career fair held at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset.

Nearly 1,300 high school students from 35 schools in South Central Ky. interacted with professionals from some of the state’s leading healthcare providers on Nov. 20 at the ninth annual HOT (Health Occupations Today) Expo sponsored by Southern Ky. Area Health Education Center (AHEC).

Southern Ky. AHEC partnered with regional healthcare providers and community organizations to educate students about more than 250 career opportunities in the healthcare industry through hands-on, interactive experiences.

Lunsford learned how important it is to have a “steady hand” at the HOT Expo as she practiced her suturing skills on a human model supplied by the nursing department at Berea College.

“That was so cool,” Lunsford said after she successfully removed stitches on the model.

More than 80 exhibitors—including representatives from Ky. colleges and universities, health educators, and healthcare professionals—were at The Center to answer questions, provide career counseling, and give students a firsthand glimpse at several in-demand healthcare careers.

“This year’s HOT Expo truly was outstanding, and we were pleased with the outcome,” Dwain Harris, director of Southern Ky. AHEC, said. “Nearly 1,300 students—–by far more than ever before—attended, and it would be impossible to count how many valuable conversations they had with exhibitors about education and career choices.”

“This interaction with exhibitors creates teachable moments for students to comprehend detailed aspects of multiple healthcare professionals,” Karen Adams, Southern Ky. AHEC health careers coordinator, added. “This event is a great healthcare professional recruitment tool as well, which is timely in light of our current status of being medically underserved in our region and state.”

In addition to the exhibits, Ky. Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) presented a short informational session on college financial assistance in The Center’s theatre before students headed to the exhibit hall to talk to the exhibitors.

“We want students to have a greater awareness of the seamless transition from high school to post-secondary education to successful entry into their professional careers, especially healthcare careers,” Adams said.

Students from Anderson, Boyle, Butler, Casey, Clay, Estill, Garrard, Knox, Lincoln, Laurel, Jackson, Madison, Mercer, McCreary, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Wayne, and Whitley counties attended the event. 

In partnership with the University of Ky. and Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center, Southern Ky. AHEC organizes and provides—-for both healthcare professionals and the public—a wide variety of educational programs aimed at identifying and improving the healthcare needs of residents within its 15-county service area of South Central Ky.