A Look Inside the Future of Healthcare

“On the Road is special to me because I mentor and help students find a path they want to work towards. I guide them as they move throughout schooling, which is something that I never had. I get really excited to see them every week and I love being a resource to them.”

This is what Emani Morse had to say when I asked what On the Road Collaborative means to her. In October, Emami accepted the position as the Program Coordinator for the new On the Road program at Thomas Harrison Middle School.

She also continues to serve as the Community Teacher for the high school Inside Healthcare Career Enrichment class. Her experience as a health educator at Sentara RMH Medical Center, working for the cultural diversity program, has allowed her to connect volunteers from different medical backgrounds with On the Road to give her students a first hand perspective of a potential career path.

“Each week I bring in different healthcare professionals who range in specialties. They present and do a hands on activity with the students to demonstrate their daily jobs. For orthopedic they did casting, and for therapy they did a relay race.”

Emani further explained how the program gives the students learning experiences that they would not normally have if they were not in On the Road. They recently visited Sentara RMH, and practiced medical procedures first hand.

Students went to the cardiac catheterization lab and performed an echocardiogram of her heart. They learned how to shock someone to revive them, how to stop bleeding, and about led jackets and x-rays.

Emani believes the program is helping her students reach their goals. They learn about the different concentrations of the medical field, and the process of how to pursue those careers.

“A lot of them know they want to do something medical, but don’t know what yet. The program helps them narrow down a specific path of what they want to do. Some will figure out that they want to be a neurosurgeon and think, “that’s it, that’s exactly what I want.” And then we’ll go to a family birthplace and they’ll realize that they want to take care of babies. They really get a better idea of what type of opportunities there are in healthcare.”

Inside Healthcare has a passionate group of students who have hopes of pursuing a career in the medical field. Emani encourages her students to chase their dream job, and as a result will be teaching Advanced Inside Healthcare in the spring.