High school is the time when your mind starts sparkling with the question of what is next in life! It is absolutely normal to explore careers and then select the one that best suits you instead of just going with anything random.
Being a doctor is thus one of the occupations that is thought of most frequently when considering jobs in the health sector. We instantly relate the white coat and stethoscope of a doctor as soon as we hear about the word health! But, did you know there are so many different careers in the health industry beyond being a doctor?
To best understand different career options, it is important to stay updated and fuel your mind with information. In this case, activities related to a health career can best guide you in deciding the next step.
Health career activities are not limited to any one position hence, they help you explore the essential aspects of the field. It also helps you explore direct medical programs and their impact. In this article, you will find interesting health career activities directed to help you identify and teach the crucial career options in the healthcare sector.
Interactive health career activities
Various career options in the healthcare industry are spread across various domains. Students in high school may struggle to make decisions due to a lack of awareness. Hence, the below-mentioned activities are a perfect way to impart skills and enhance the learning framework.
1. Career Index cards
High schoolers are certain to explore different career options on social media platforms and through the internet. This activity enhances research skills and triggers students to think beyond their imagination. For this activity, students need to select different health professions which can be nutritionist, dentist, pharmacist, or optician.
After this, write questions on different index cards for each category. Ask students to research beforehand and then answer the questions as per their choice of profession. Such questions expand knowledge which can then be useful for medical internships later. You can use the following questions and other similar ones for the activity.
- If you are a dentist, what will you first do when checking the patient?
- If you are a pharmacist, what will you do if a person wants medicines without a doctor’s prescription?
2. Mazes and More!
High schoolers are more likely to be aware of the common health career professions. Hence, this activity creates awareness and also helps initiate conversations between students. For this activity, list out different healthcare professions and put them in a word search maze.
Print this paper and distribute the paper to all students in the class. Now, ask students to find the words but with a twist. Every student finds a word, he/she needs to read it aloud. After this, everyone shares their views about the profession. Once done, the searching process again begins leading to further discussions.
3. Nutritional Audit
The healthcare sector has many positions and roles in the nutrition and diet areas. Students can also be nutritionists or dieticians in the near future. This activity focuses on covering some aspects of this area in the field. For this activity, ask students to research basic things about food, nutrition, quality eating, and weight management. Once the research is done, ask students to begin with their audits during lunchtime.
Ten students are assigned the position of nutritionist in a day. Now, assign them any of their classmate’s names and they need to audit that person’s lunch. After this, let them share their thoughts about it.
For example, they can talk about the inclusion of fruits for vitamins or minimizing sweets to balance sugar content. Keep assigning the position of a nutritionist to ten students every other day till everyone gets a chance. Students can also use nutrition online games to enrich their knowledge.
4. What’s Your Role?
Practical learning experiences go a long way in imparting knowledge and making students aware of different healthcare professions. This activity focuses on allowing students to explore these professions in a complete manner. For this activity, students need to choose their favorite profession which could be anything in the healthcare sector. After this, give them a day when they need to prepare their act and outfit as per the selected profession.
The next day in school, students showcase the basic job responsibilities that come under the specific profession. For example, if a student chooses to be a dentist, he/she needs to highlight how dentists help in tooth implantation, removal of cavities, cleaning teeth, and maintaining the help of gums. Such role-play scenarios create a fun learning environment and students learn to be creative
5. Make A Video
We are now talking about the current generation where social media and the internet are gaining popularity. With technological developments, even healthcare professionals spread important information through social media platforms. It is more like an information exchange by doctors, dentists, dieticians, and so on.
For this activity, students need to choose the profession that they like. Now, they need to shoot a video of themselves acting as a healthcare professional giving out vital information to the citizens. It has to be trendy and conversational. For example, if it is a dentist, the student can talk about foods and drinks one should avoid to save teeth from cavities. One by one, every student shows this video to the class.
6. Situational Awareness
Medical emergencies frequently arise and may be needed at any time. As high schoolers thinking of healthcare careers, they should be aware of the common things to do in case of emergencies. This activity focuses on sharing knowledge in a collaborative environment.
For this activity, write different situations on a chit of paper and divide the students into teams of 3 members each. Put these chits in a box and each team picks one chit. Considering the situation mentioned in it, teams need to present their answers. You can use the following situations mentioned below.
- A friend of yours fell while running on the ground. What shall you do to prevent bleeding?
- An uncle felt dizzy in the garden. What shall you feed him to make him feel better?
- A kid is about to jump in the swimming pool. What would you recommend him to apply on his skin before jumping?
7. Role Quiz!
A quiz is an innovative way to test the knowledge of high schoolers and also offers them a unique learning experience. A well-designed quiz helps students tap into the learning experiences that foster a healthy learning environment. For this activity, take a list of 15 to 20 quiz questions related to the healthcare sector, the salary of these professionals, and different roles and responsibilities.
After this, distribute this quiz to everyone in the class. Now, let students read the quiz thoroughly and answer them after thoughtful analysis. Collect it from everyone once done and then invite an open discussion from students. Such an activity fosters a learning framework where there are exchanges of ideas and information.
8. First Aid Kit
A first aid kit is one of the most common things found in public places, houses, and even schools. Considering normal medical instances, a first aid kit helps with quick treatment and can prevent major damage when used during emergencies. For this activity, students have to be creative and design their kits. For this activity, ask students to make their own first aid kits by collecting the essentials.
The activity does not follow a similar pattern for all students. Every high schooler is free to make this first aid kit as per their understanding. For example, some kits may have extra medicines while others may have extra cotton swabs. Invite an open discussion after students have made their kits. They can also add their insights as to why a certain thing is significant in their specific kit.
Wrapping Up
Career exploration activities help students delve into a practical understanding of different fields. As students get realistic experience as to how a specific job or position looks like, they can make better decisions regarding their future choices. Such activities also diversify various roles in the health sector making it an open-ended choice to select the one that best suits their interests.
Along with activities, it is important to equip students with different learning methods that foster awareness. Interesting career games can also be used in the classroom to create a fun learning environment. Encourage learners to read news, connect with industry professionals, and keep updating themselves with developments in the health sector.
Having a 10+ years of experience in teaching little budding learners, I am now working as a soft skills and IELTS trainers. Having spent my share of time with high schoolers, I understand their fears about the future. At the same time, my experience has helped me foster plenty of strategies that can make their 4 years of high school blissful. Furthermore, I have worked intensely on helping these young adults bloom into successful adults by training them for their dream colleges. Through my blogs, I intend to help parents, educators and students in making these years joyful and prosperous.