Kasson-Mantorville fourth graders get inside look into healthcare industry

KASSON, Minn. (KTTC) – Within the past two years, one in five healthcare workers left their positions, leaving the state of Minnesota with extreme shortages.

Tuesday, some Kasson-Mantorville fourth graders may have been inspired to join the healthcare industry at the school’s Immersive Experience program. Immersive Experience is a program where students get hands-on exposure to different industries.

Several companies set up booths at the school showing off the work they do and some of the tools and equipment they use.

Students went around to each booth and filled out their health passports to learn more about the jobs.

Kids got the chance to use a sonogram machine, practice their teeth cleaning skills and even got to hold some pig hearts.

Students say that even if they aren’t sure what sort of job they want in the future, interacting with these medical and healthcare workers makes them grateful for the work they do.

“I know it’s pretty important, because I know a lot of people out there have issues with their bones or just with their bodies themselves, and I know it’s important for people to help so they can actually do the things they’re supposed to do,” Kasson-Mantorville Fourth Grader Logan Mucha said.

“It helps you know what’s inside your body so you know what’s happening,” Kasson-Mantorville Fourth Grader Solomon McNamera said.

The medical and healthcare industry is the third immersive experience that Kasson-Mantorville fourth graders have attended. Before Tuesday, they also explored careers in engineering and art.