Students from 20 high schools in north and central Louisiana participated in Healthcare Career Exploration Day Wednesday, an event co-sponsored by Northwestern State University and Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center (CLAHEC)

High school students from throughout central Louisiana divided into small groups to attend faculty-led workshops to about skills and qualities that make a good health care professional. Students explored programs in psychology, addiction studies, biological and physical sciences, nursing and allied health and health and human performance and how degree programs in those fields translate to careers in healthcare, medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, cardiopulmonary science, optometry, clinical laboratory science, forensic science, pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, bioinformatics, natural resource science, veterinary medicine and more.

A panel of NSU students majoring in biology and/or health sciences spoke to the students about their programs, scholarship opportunities and tips on successfully transitioning from high school to college.

Ashley Jones, a junior from Mansfield, said she learned a lot during the program.

“We learned how to take vital signs and about different kinds of burns and things about psychology like the difference between a functional family and a dysfunctional family,” Jones said. “It’s been a good experience.”

CLAHEC also shared information about volunteer healthcare programs offered in the area each summer.

Next week, NSU’s School of Biological and Physical Sciences will host the Science Showcase for high schoolers. The program will be from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 and will include hands-on experiments, panel discussions and information on career opportunities. For more information on the Science Showcase, visit https://sciences.nsula.edu/nsu-science-showcase/. Participants can also like the NSU Science Showcase event on Facebook. For more information, contact J. Colby Lasyone at (318) 357-5375 or email lasyonej@nsula.edu.