Central Georgia Technical College holds ‘More than Scrubs’ event

"The intention of the program is to expose high school students in Houston County to all of the different healthcare careers that are available to them here,” said Kimberly Gunn, Executive Director of High School Initiatives for Central Georgia Technical College.

HOUSTON COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s no secret that there is a shortage of healthcare workers across the entire country, and it’s causing concern about what the future may hold.

Houston County School District is trying to find a way to get ahead of the situation. More than 100 high school students visited the Roy H. Sonny Watson Health Sciences Building at Central Georgia Technical College Thursday to learn about careers in the medical industry.

The sixth annual event, called “More than Scrubs,” involves multiple county partners trying to encourage young students to learn and pursue a career in the medical industry by showing and hearing first-hand experiences from professionals in the space.

“The intention of the program is to expose high school students in Houston County to all of the different healthcare careers that are available to them here,” said Kimberly Gunn, Executive Director of High School Initiatives for Central Georgia Technical College. “A hospital is run very much like a city, and so we want students to know that there is information technology and cybersecurity and radiology. There’s just a lot of different opportunities.”

Gunn, who is also over the dual enrollment program at Central Georgia Technical College, encourages students to enroll to get a head start on their college education.

“We offer 17 programs on campus from healthcare to welding to fine furniture. We have an array of programs, so we allow students to come in and actually experience what they think they might want to be later on in their career,” said Dr. Sherry Johnson, Principal & CEO Houston College and Career Academy. “It’s an opportunity for the students to make a decision whether they want to do something or choose that it’s not what they want to do.”

“It’s important that you kind of start thinking about those next steps and what it takes to be successful,” said Dr. Mark Scott, Superintendent of Schools for the Houston County School District, while addressing the students.

Dr. Scott also says the school district works tirelessly to make sure they are preparing students to face the challenges of becoming an adult.

“Selfishly, I want everyone to pick up on a healthcare career today, pursue it with absolute vigor, and come back in about ten years and work at Houston Healthcare,” said Charles Briscoe, President & CEO of Houston Healthcare, during the panel.

After the panel, students broke into groups and took a tour of the college’s healthcare facilities, where staff gave demonstrations and answered questions.