Local medical students giving back by inspiring high school students

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students at Clovis East High School had their hands full of medical gear and minds full of inspiration on Wednesday morning.

34 Patient Care Pathway students at the school received a visit from local medical students.

It's part of the Valley Mentors program at California Health Sciences University in Clovis.

Sabrina Jones is the club's co-chair and a second-year medical student at CHSU.

She is from Madera and hopes this interaction helps retain healthcare professionals in the Central Valley.

"Sometimes healthcare professions, it can be a long way down the road. Lots of schooling, lots of obstacles, so we wanna keep that spark alive and keep what they were interested in so we do fun things like these drills and very hands-on so students continue to follow through," says Sabrina.

Increased access to local doctors is also a goal.

The program has reached nearly two hundred students across six schools in Fresno, Clovis, and Madera this year.

Devyn Olvera is one of them.

He is a junior at Clovis East and aspires to be a CRNA.

"In the future when I do find a job in the medical field, I am gonna have to know these skills. So being able to just listen and assess what I'm gonna have to do in the future is a good experience," Devyn explains.

Dr. Kelly Eichmann is the school's Patient Care pathway instructor.

She says exposure, inspiration, and mentorship are key components to this event that happens twice each year.

"We are looking for people to take them under their wing and wanting to mentor them and show them this is a great career, this is a great pathway so we are always looking for community partners," mentions Dr. Eichmann.

Dr. Eichmann says it's these interactions that help plant the seeds for future generations of leaders in medical health professions.

For news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.