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About 150 students in health career pathways at three District high schools got hands-on experience exploring a variety of health-related occupations during Mt. Diablo Unified’s Second Annual “Allied Health Fair” on Thursday at the Loma Vista Adult Education Center in Concord. 

Students from College Park High School’s Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences Pathway, Mt. Diablo High School’s Medical and Biotechology Academy (MBTA), and Ygnacio Valley High School’s Health Academy visited five health-career programs offered at the Adult Education Center and also visited with local healthcare employers in the Multi-Use room to learn about careers including Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Dental Assistants, Surgical Technologists, Medical Assistants and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).

Students and teachers were excited about the opportunity to learn about so many different career options in one place and were especially interested in trying out the medical equipment, as well as seeing how Dental Assistants make impressions of teeth and practice on life-sized mannequin heads in dental chairs and getting to turn on the lights and sirens in an ambulance.

Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark welcomed students and challenged them to reach outside their comfort zones to ask questions and glean as much information as they could during the fair. "Our job is to really prepare you for college and careers," he said. "We want you to be able to do whatever you want to do." Mt. Diablo HS biotech teacher Hayley Davis said the fair offered her students a great opportunity to interact with Adult Education students and healthcare professionals in a variety of fields they may not have known about. "It's a really interesting experience for them," she said, adding that students last year loved the interactive event. "I'm really excited to be here again."

Mt. Diablo HS students Taylor Adams, Kianna Fano and Kaniya Jeanjacques said the fair was an eye-opening experience that gave them a chance to find out what different careers are like from people who are currently doing externships or working in these fields. Surgical technologist Kelly Tardiff said graduates of the 1-year program can earn $40-$49 per hour full time, or $59 per hour on a per diem basis. 

College Park HS BioMed teacher Marcus Thomas said the Adult Education programs give students the opportunity to learn skills that will land them jobs in the community, along with the ability to continue advancing their education in the future to pursue other related fields such as nursing or becoming doctors. More information about Mt. Diablo Adult Education's Career Technical Education programs is here. 

An MDUSD high school student (right) gets a chance to see what it's like to be a dental assistant during the Allied Health Fair on the Mt. Diablo Adult Education Loma Vista campus.