Public school students are gaining “real-world exposure” to various fields within the medical profession thanks to a new career guidance programme.

The two-week scheme, coordinated between the Bermuda Education Network, Bermuda College and the Department of Health, sees ten students per year shadowing healthcare professionals and gaining practical experience in and out of the classroom.

Bermuda Education Network project coordinator Tracy Astwood said: “BEN does career guidance and this is an opportunity to offer extensive career guidance for 15 and 16-year-olds in the public school system for jobs in the healthcare industry.

“There is an overwhelming majority of non-Bermudians working in the healthcare industry, so the sector has approached us saying they want to target young Bermudians.

“This is our way of getting them interested of doing a job within the healthcare sector and exposing them to the different types of jobs that are out there.”

Last week the students, who attend Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy, experienced a full week of work shadowing and classroom activities. This week they will receive tours of the hospital and visits to the baby clinics across the Island.

They meet the district nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and EMTs, among other fields, and are gaining exposure to the nursing programme at Bermuda College that they are eligible to enter next year.

Ms Astwood added: “There are ten students in the programme. We have ten mentors — a mentor for each child from the various areas.

“During the afternoon work they are gaining hands-on experience.

“I go to the schools and give presentations about the programme and then we connect with the career guidance counsellors as well to help figure out which students would be best suited. They have to apply for it like applying for a job — they put in a resume and they do interviews and then we pick them based on how well they did.”