The HST students of today could be the doctors of tomorrow.

The Health Science Technology program gives students an opportunity to learn about the medical field. The HST II class is double blocked and has been traveling this semester to Seton Northwest on B-Days for fifth and sixth periods.

“Some of the things we get to do are go to the hospitals for rotations, follow our mentor and interact and help them when they ask us to get stuff like pillows and blankets,” senior Elyse Demar said. “The doctors always make us feel welcome, it’s a really fun experience.”

The program allows students to gain real world experience working with doctors and nurses.

“My grandma was in the hospital a lot and that’s when I first got interested in health science,” junior Kimberly Perry said. “It showed me a lot of careers that I didn’t know were available in health science such as toxicology and environmental science. I always wanted to go to hospitals and see what was happening behind the scenes.”

For legal reasons, the students cannot help the patients hands-on, but they do assist and shadow the doctors throughout their clinicals. Back at school, the HST II students learned how to take blood pressure, draw blood and give CPR. The real world element of the course prepares students for a future in medicine.

“The program taught me basic medical terms, pharmacology, and just what it is like to be in that type of environment before we actually have that career,” Demar said. “I think it was a great choice.”

To be able to travel to the hospital, students must first take HST I. The class studied the different systems of the body and also learned how to live a healthy lifestyle and how often and when to exercise.

“Mrs. [Pam] Risser teaches us lots of things like how to eat right and have good hygiene,” junior Amanda Jones said. “We have lots of class discussions to help us understand fully what we learn about.”

Risser took over the program in the spring after the students had a long-term substitute for most of the fall semester. Risser was a registered nurse for 30 years and has taught for 10 years.

“When I came to Rouse I saw that there were some wonderful kids here, and even though teaching can be challenging at times, I can always learn from them,” Risser said. “I love all the kids and they really make it fun.”