Student interest in medical fields fostered with Wednesday tour of Albany Medical Center

Two classes of RCS High School students toured Albany Medical Center on Wednesday, learning about potential careers in the medical field and learning youth illnesses and injuries.

The students – who are in Dixie Almay’s Child Development classes – toured several areas of the hospital, including the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and  Surgical Intensive Care Unit as well as the Emergency Department.

They also heard presentations on nursing careers and the need for more male nurses, as well as volunteer opportunities in the hospital for teenagers. More than a dozen of the students asked for information packets on the summer volunteer program at AMC.

A physician also led a a discussion on AIDs and what kind of care the hospital provides for those with the HIV virus.

A highlight of the trip, students and Almay said, was the landing of two med-flight helicopters on the helipad on the hospital's roof, which the students were able to witness from an observation room. Both helicopters were bringing patients into the trauma center of the hospital.

"It was amazing how precise the pilots were," said Almay.