Students explore the healthcare field through Gundersen St. Joseph's 'Club Scrub'
On a recent Friday morning, the conference room at Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital was alive with the sound of chatter and laughter. That’s because eighth-grade students from around the hospital’s service area were gathered to learn about – and participate in – the various jobs that make a healthcare facility like St. Joseph’s hum.
It’s called Club Scrub, and it’s a program the hospital has sponsored for many years – so many, in fact, that several of the middle schoolers who took part in it years ago are now working there. This year’s event welcomed students from Hillsboro, LaFarge, Weston, Royall, Wonewoc-Center and Cashton for two packed days that allowed them to get a taste of the various roles in the medical field.
On day one, students took part in sessions, led by Gundersen St. Joseph providers, that taught them the basics of starting IV lines, giving injections and suturing, skills they then practiced on pieces of fruit. The second day featured blood testing, casting and rehabilitation demonstrations.
“The kids have a blast,” says Gundersen St. Joseph’s human resources manager Megan Wopat, who is the lead organizer of the event. “It’s just kind of an introduction to everything we could potentially do in healthcare that’s clinical.”
Lab manager Candice Blaha showed students how to check for bacteria on their hands, phones or other items that typically see a lot of contact with other surfaces. They dipped their items in a Petrie dish and let it simmer for a week before seeing what grew. The results – mostly groupings of mold – drew a few disgusted reactions.
“It’s good to show what that looks like,” Blaha says. “We don’t realize how much bacteria is everywhere until you touch something and see all the things that grow.”
Importance of the club
In a rural setting, it can be difficult to convince kids to stay close to home for work when many aspire to move to a bigger city. But Club Scrub is a way to showcase that their interest in a healthcare job can be fulfilled not far from where they grew up.
“We can do the same things here that you can do in big cities, yet you can still stay loyal to your hometown,” Wopat says. “It’s an eye-opener to some people when they come in here and see everything we do.”
And having staff who’ve bought in to the program and are willing to lead the sessions is the main reason its endured through the years.
“Our staff love to have students in house,” Wopat says. “They love to see those job shadows come through. They love to teach and show them what they can become someday.”
“A lot of the people who work here went through Club Scrub,” she adds, “and they want to continue that passion for the kids to learn and move into healthcare.”
Learning their direction
When Blaha was in school, she had no idea what career she wanted to pursue – except that she wanted to work in healthcare. But at the time, she didn’t know what the lab was, and there were no opportunities like Club Scrub to introduce it to her. Now, she doesn’t want kids to have that same unfamiliarity.
“I really like getting the lab involved in Club Scrub just so they know that it’s there,” she says. “I had no clue until I had a blood draw, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I could totally do this.’”
Her story is similar to that of LaFarge eighth-grade Carissa Menec. She attended Club Scrub because she knows she wants to work in the medical field but hasn’t decided in what area. Menec says it sounded like a fun way to learn a little about a lot of different professions.
“I really liked suturing, and I liked doing the IV. That was a lot of fun,” she says. “I like learning all the different things and what all goes into it because it’s a lot more complicated than you think.”
And even if a passion doesn’t necessarily take root during the program, students may look back and remember it when they’re getting more serious about choosing their career path, Blaha says.
“I want them to realize that there are so many options in healthcare. You don’t always have to be an RN or a doctor,” she says. “There are so many departments that there’s probably a place for almost anyone somewhere in a healthcare setting.”