SYLVANIA, Ohio — Juniors and seniors at Southview High School received an important teaching lesson outside the classroom when Mercy Health's Life Flight helicopter landed just feet away from them.
"I thought it was pretty surreal," junior Braydon Walton said. "I mean, considering a helicopter coming to school just to learn about career opportunities. It was a pretty crazy moment."
Students who have an interest in entering the health field one day - a field filled with in-demand jobs - are part of Southview's med tech program. Their teacher, Dana Baird, is a registered nurse who knows the importance of hands-on learning.
Baird said it gives the students a better idea of what path they want to take.
"I think it gives them the opportunity to see that health care is not just about nurses and doctors," she said. "They can be pilots, they can be paramedics, they can be a part of something awesome like this."
While meeting with the pilots and seeing the inside of a medical helicopter had a major "wow" factor, the students walked away with a greater appreciation for these opportunities.
"We get out of the classroom a lot and I feel like it just helps us get closer with each other, connect with each other more," junior Amera Stephens said. "We're able to see all the different experiences you can participate in as a medical student."
The students said the program has really opened their eyes to new possibilities.
"Med tech is a great program," Walton said. "It exposes us to all the different opportunities in the medical field that we could be in one day. And we get our basic certifications, so we don't have to take certain things in college that put us on our way. It kind of puts us ahead for a medical career."
Baird said this is only the beginning to future teaching lessons for these students.
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