Students from Pemberton Township High School Future Nurses Club visit the Operating Room at Deborah Heart and Lung Center where Charge Nurse Jackie Herron demonstrated the various instruments used for Cardiac and Pulmonary Surgery. Pemberton Township High School Future Nurses Club joined Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, N. J., on May 14 to get an inside look at the different career paths and professional options available to nurses.

During the day, the students visited the operating room, cath lab, electrophysiology suite and cardiac imaging center while learning what different professional career training is needed to achieve each different professional level.

"Determining a career path is a daunting task for any student, which is magnified in a down economy. The current job market forces many anxious students and parents to wonder whether there will be jobs available after graduation day. Healthcare jobs have traditionally been a mainstay during economic downturns," said Rita Zenna, Vice President of Patient Care Services. "We think it is crucial to welcome these high school students into the hospital to encourage their choice in a nursing career path. These students are the next generation of nurses, and we want to offer them a glimpse into the real world of nursing and the wide-range of opportunities open to them."

Valerie Harris, a nurse at Deborah Heart and Lung Center, demonstrates the tools used in a cardiac catheterization for students from the Pemberton Township High School Future Nurses Club during their tour of the hospital. Club Advisor Elisabeth McCartney agreed. "For our students who learn about nursing through classroom activities, it is vital for them to come into a hospital and see the skills at work in a clinical setting. They are making big decisions about spending money on post-secondary education and deciding whether to be an LPN or RN or to further specialize in other areas in nursing. This impacts their next educational decision. By visiting these highly specialized departments and seeing the nurses in action, the students have a clearer idea if the specialty matches their professional goals and meets their future financial expectations."

Students from the Pemberton Township High School Future Nurses Club learn about the tools used in complicated electrophysiology procedures form nurse Marlynn Belsito during their recent visit to Deborah Heart and Lung Center.