WOODBRIDGE, Va. – At first glance, it looked like a typical hospital simulation: blinking mannequins, beeping monitors, and focused students practicing CPR and drawing blood. But for 14-year-old students like those in the room at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, it was a first glimpse into what a future career in medicine might look like.
Sixteen rising 8th and 9th graders from Prince William County Public Schools spent a week at the hospital as part of the Sentara Healthcare Career Camp, a free summer program designed to expose youth to the wide array of healthcare professions beyond just doctors and nurses.