SIH Hosts Healthcare Career Fair for Local Students

MARION, Ill. (KFVS) – Southern Illinois teens had an eye-opening experience Monday at a pavilion in Marion as they learned about careers in health care.

Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) opened the 2024 Healthcare Career Fair on October 28th. This event is being held for the third year in a row.

This year, SIH expanded its reach to include public, private and home school students throughout the region. In addition, more than twenty SIH service teams provide hands-on demonstrations and Q&A sessions.

Leighton McCalla is an eighth-grader from Johnston City. He has plans to one day become a law enforcement officer, but he said everything he learned at this exhibition will help him achieve those goals.

“I can use CPR to my advantage so if I see a downed civilian or officer, we can save another life and not lose another,” McCalla said.

More than 600 students are expected to attend the event, which will take place on Monday and Tuesday.

“A lot of times kids don’t want to leave the area,” said Herrin Hospital Vice President Rodney Smith. “There are a lot of vacancies here in healthcare. Lots of possibilities. Lots of high paying jobs. And they can be close to their families.”

Smith wants students to know that healthcare is about more than just doctors and nurses.

“We have accountants, human resources people, lab people who analyze samples every day, engineers,” Smith said. “A variety of careers you never thought possible happen in the hospital every single day.”

A total of 20 schools from southern Illinois will participate in the exhibition.

Copyright 2024 KFVS. All rights reserved.