Health Care Providers Hold Career Expo at Rasmussen College

Sanford, Essentia, Mayo Clinic, Eventide and Pioneer Care were in attendance

MOORHEAD, Minn. — If you think being a doctor is too difficult but still find the medical field interesting, there are some other in–demand options to consider.

Rasmussen held a career expo where Sanford, Essentia, Mayo Clinic, Eventide and Pioneer Care were in attendance.

“People don’t see us, they don’t know who we are, I try to explain to people, you know when you watch a medical show and they’re standing at the table and someone has the mask on, that’s me,” Christine Meyer, a surgical technologist lab instructor, said.

Those at Rasmussen say there’s a lot more than just nursing in the health care field. They have programs to train people to become medical lab technicians, surgical technicians, medical administrators, and much more.

“I was looking around and this just interested me the most. It’s surgery. What’s better than surgery?” Emanuel Verdejo, a surgical technology student, said.

“By having graduates ready to work in this field is really going to strengthen our community,” Timothy Ortez, executive program manager, said. “We don’t want the students’ first experience in the operating room to be their first day on the job.”

“When you start your practicum, I want you to go there not as a student, but as an employee,” Meyer said. “Some of the most difficult things are eye contact and communication and telling someone what you need and when.”

Students at the expo got to see a simulation of how to prepare in the operating room and that includes scrubbing in, gowning, and gloving.

“Some things can be very scary and horrifying and those are things you don’t expect. That outcome— unfortunately we don’t get to see that very often being in the operating room— but when we know the outcome of whatever surgery that patient had is going to be better, it really makes it worth it,” Meyer said.

Rasmussen has career expos in the fall and spring.