MASON, Ohio — A group of Mason High School students visited Mercy Health Kings Mill Hospital Friday, not as patients, but as future healthcare professionals exploring career opportunities in medicine.
"There are a lot of doctors in my extended family and health issues in my family ... that made me want to go into the health field," said Padmaja Raghavan, a freshman at Mason High School.
Fellow students Quinn Charlton and Greshma Choudhary joined Raghavan in the visit, each hoping to discover where they might fit within the healthcare industry.
WATCH: Mason High School students share more about their healthcare interests
Charlton said his interest in healthcare began in childhood.
"Ever since I was younger, I took interest in helping people making gadgets for superheroes and stuff," Charlton said. "I asked my mom like, 'What is that actual job?' and she said, 'That's healthcare, biomedical engineering.'"
Choudhary said the experience confirmed the direction she wants to pursue, but she is still weighing her options.
"I'm currently thinking of being a physician for sure, but I want to go into a specialty," Choudhary said. "I'm not really sure. I have a lot of school to cover before I think about that."
The visit was designed to give students early exposure to real-world healthcare environments. Elizabeth Mohr, hospital administrator at Mercy Health Kings Mill Hospital, said the students toured key areas of the facility.
"They will get to go to imaging, they will get to see a CAT scanner," Mohr said.
Mohr said students who eventually become Mercy Health employees could also benefit from the hospital's Guild Education Program, which functions as a tuition assistance program.
"We can help them get into whatever discipline they are looking for and help pay their way," Mohr said.
Choudhary said Mason's Experiential Learning Program helped prepare students for professional opportunities like this one by building LinkedIn profiles, writing resumes and more.
"(The experiential learning program) and the Mason community really offers me ways to explore myself personally," Choudhary said.
