Scouts discover health care careers through hands-on learning at WVU Health Sciences

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge was organized in collaboration with the WVU Women in Science and Health committee and brought together faculty, staff and students from the WVU health schools—Nursing, Medicine and Pharmacy. The School of Dentistry also exposed scouts to career paths in dentistry by offering a discipline-specific merit badge.

“It is very fulfilling to be able to combine our passion for health care and our professions with exposing to scouts all these opportunities for their future,” said Marina Galvez Peralta, PharmaD, PhD, merit badge counselor, associate professor and director of student professional development for the School of Pharmacy. “It was an opportunity to close the circle since some student volunteers were Eagle Scouts themselves.”

This year, 19 faculty and staff members and 25 student volunteers led sessions to help Scouts earn the Health Care Professions Merit Badge. The program introduced participants to a range of health care careers, including medicine, nursing (NP and RN), physician assistant, pharmacy, audiology, occupational and physical therapy, speech pathology, radiology, medical records, medical technology and histology and respiratory therapy.

“It’s inspiring to work with this group of health care educators who volunteered many hours to make this event happen,” said SueAnn Woods, associate professor and director of the Master of Occupational Therapy program, who helped organize the health care session. “They utilize active learning to both inspire an interest in the variety of health care professions and also to help the Scouts be more comfortable accessing healthcare.”

Scouts participated in hands-on activities at the David and Jo Ann Shaw Center for Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety (STEPS), a state-of-the-art simulation facility and the Pharmacy Skills Lab, where they rotated through real-world medical scenarios, including:

• Assessing and treating a pediatric burn patient in the emergency room.
• Conducting neurological assessments by testing cranial nerve function.
• Performing procedures such as compounding an IV, starting an IV and suturing.
• Evaluating and treating a pediatric patient with a fracture and laceration.

Brian Menear, a simulation technician at WV STEPS, emphasized the impact of these experiences. “I think all the Scouts learned that all health care professionals, regardless of their role, play an integral part of the team in patient care.”

Faculty and student volunteers from across multiple health care disciplines helped guide Scouts through the activities, showcasing the collaborative nature of patient care. For many, the event was also a testament to the commitment of WVU students to serving their community.

“My best memories of Merit Badge Day were witnessing the service of our current WVU health care sciences students,” said Tina Antill Keener, associate professor and director of BSN programs at the WVU School of Nursing. “The nursing and pharmacy students did a fantastic job working with the Scouts in the group I served. These WVU students are truly living the university vision by partnering with our community to introduce and recruit youth to health professional roles.”

With continued growth and enthusiasm, Merit Badge University at WVU Health Sciences remains committed to fostering mentorship and career exploration in health care, providing young people with the knowledge and confidence to consider future careers in the field.

Photos provided by WVU Photo/Davidson Chan

-WVU-

MEDIA CONTACT: Christie Matyola
Senior Communications Specialist
WVU Health Sciences
732-966-2107; christie.matyola@hsc.wvu.edu