Med Center Health Teen Ambassador Harrison Hosier moves a dumbbell while shadowing Med Center employees in the physical therapy department of the hospital on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. More than 30 Teen Ambassadors will spend six and a half weeks during the summer visiting each of the hospital’s departments to shadow healthcare professionals, learn more about the healthcare field and gain hands-on experience in a wide spectrum of jobs at the Med Center. (Grace Ramey McDowell/grace.ramey@bgdailynews.com)

Foundation Christian Academy senior Harrison Hosier always wanted to be a doctor. Now, he and 32 other high schoolers are spending a little over a month learning how to prepare for a medical career in Med Center Health’s summer Teen Ambassador Program.

“It was me and my mother, and we were looking up different programs for medical (experience),” Hosier said. “I thought it would be interesting to get into it and understand the workings of a hospital and the different departments I would go into when I do my residency.”

The Teen Ambassador Program began in 2022 as a way for teenagers interested in a health care career to learn the inner workings of the field.

Amy Hardin, executive director of the Med Center Health Foundation, said students began the program with orientation last week. Hardin said enrollment in the program has grown each year since it began.

Hardin said over 50 applications were received for the program this year with 33 students participating, making this year’s group the largest MCH has seen. The program is normally capped at 25.

Hardin said while students who join the program are not paid, entering the session comes at no cost. Students can reapply for an additional summer.

“Each day they go to a different department,” Hardin said. “It’s our hope that they can learn what all it takes to operate a health care facility.”

One student who reapplied is Hannah Claire Cassady, a sophomore at South Warren High School. Cassady said the friendships she made and getting the opportunity to work with health care professionals made her return for another round.

When asked if she would stick with health care, Cassady said she “absolutely” would, although she’s not quite sure what role she will fill.

“With me being so young, I’m not quite sure,” she said. “I think with doing this program, it really does allow me to realize what it takes to do something like this.”