photo courtesy of MSU Billings
MSUB Hosts Healthcare Career Summit for HS Students
November 30, 2022
MSU Billings media release | Nov 28, 2022
MSU BILLINGS NEWS | On Friday, December 2, Montana State University Billings, in partnership with the Montana BioScience Alliance, is hosting a Healthcare Career Summit for local high school students interested in a career in healthcare. Running from 8am-1:30pm in the Student Union Building on MSUB's university campus, the summit aims to showcase the wide range of life science career opportunities, giving students an idea of what it takes to get started in these professions.
“This event is a perfect way to show off the impressive array of occupations here in Billings that students can readily enter,” says Sharon Peterson, executive director of the Montana BioScience Alliance. “One of the goals of the Alliance is to create high-quality jobs in Montana. This event shows both the range of jobs available and the needed training and education programs we have locally. We can show students an attainable pathway to high-paying and rewarding occupations right here.”
A portion of the event features a "speed-dating" format that allows students to meet 1:1 or in small groups with each professional. Professionals work in different areas of healthcare including sterile processing, medical coding, respiratory therapy, nursing, physician assistant, occupational therapist, pharmacist, paramedic, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, certified nursing assistant, public health, veterinarian, industrial hygiene, optometry, and more. These professionals represent local and regional healthcare and life science organizations such as Billings Clinic, SCL Health (now part of Intermountain Healthcare), St. John’s United, Rocky Vista University, Riverstone Health, Billings VA Clinic, Billings OB-GYN Associates, ExxonMobil, Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center, Rimrock Foundation, Rocky Mountain Vein Clinic, Billings Fire Department, Rocky Mountain College, Ortho Montana, Big Sky EDA, Drs. McBride, Steiner & Lebsock Optometrists, Montana Department of Labor, and Turley Dental Care.
Kurt Toenjes, Ph.D., and dean of the College of Health Professions and Science at MSUB, said “This event helps students discover and explore options in the healthcare field and opens their eyes to areas that they previously may have been unaware of, like sonography, medical laboratory sciences, health administration, or licensed addiction counseling. I have been fortunate to be a part of this event for a few years and it is fun to see the students’ interest grow in these areas and watch them start to focus on a plan for their future.”
MSUB’s College of Health Professions and Science offers many healthcare program options including athletic training, health administration, health and human performance, RN to BSN, psychiatric rehabilitation, clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling, outdoor adventure leadership, and programs in the biological and physical sciences such as chemistry, biology, and Broadfield science. City College at MSU Billings offers healthcare programs in practical nurse, registered nurse, pre-dental hygiene, radiologic technology, respiratory therapy, surgical technology, ultrasound technology, paramedic, and medical coding and billing.
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