Katie Coseo
Last Friday PJC students and faculty from the phlebotomy and nursing programs attended the career fair hosted by Communities in Schools of Northwest Florida at Hallmark Elementary School.
Students from all grade levels had the opportunity to meet and greet with several companies and educators to learn what they did for a living. Groups along with the Nursing and Phlebotomy programs, such as Southern Company, Florida Public Archeology Network, International Paper, Sun Trust, Quina Grandhoefer Architect, Escambia County department of solid waste and the Navy, provided young students with encouragement of staying in school and knowledge of what sort of work they did everyday.
Ashley Bodmer, CISNWFL executive director, explained that this was CIS first career fair. “Our mission is to bring community resources to schools, keep kids in school.” Bodmer explained that focusing on the elementary level was important for young students because, “This is where prevention happens.”
PJC students showed the elementary kids how to listen to heart and breath sounds. They were given coloring books and participated in making their own nurse hat. Dr. Wilma Duncans-Burnett, program director of the phlebotomy program, demonstrated to Hallmark students the simulation arm that her own students use everyday to practice drawing blood. She used a tourniquet on several students to show how “bouncy” their veins are for drawing blood.
“I am so pleased in the participation of PJC,” said Ashley Bodmer.
PJC students and faculty encouraged the importance of going to college and doing well in school. After showing a group of Hallmark students how she drew blood from the simulation arm, laughing Dr. Wilma Duncans-Burnett remembered one student. “He asked me, ‘How did you do this?’ I said, ‘Well after high school you come to PJC and I’ll show you.’ He said ‘okay.’”