Students tour Community Regional Medical Center as part of summer academy

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Local students are learning what it takes to work in the medical field.

On Wednesday, students in Clovis Unified's Patient Care Pathway program toured Community Regional Medical Center in Downtown Fresno.

The group is taking part in a one-week summer academy spotlighting healthcare careers.

Participants saw the inner workings of the ER, burn unit, labs and the helipad on top of the hospital.

Students were also taken to the kitchen and got to prepare pizzas.

All the participants are going into eighth or ninth grade next school year.

That includes Alta Sierra Intermediate student Isabela Elizondo, who's already narrowing down what she wants to study.

"I took a career test in sixth grade, and it matched me up with the medical field, like physical therapy, occupational therapy, and I looked into what they actually do, and I thought it was really interesting," she said.

Clovis East High is in charge of the program.

The instructors say tours like this can help guide young students as they decide which classes to take in the future.