Students at Vermont's Hannaford Career Center got a unique opportunity to experience healthcare outside of the classroom. Those in the Health Careers program were given a multi-faceted look at various perspectives of health careers and healthcare. The school took the students on a third annual trip to Washington, D.C., along with Rita Wells, a teacher at the school.

"Taking learning out of the classroom and beyond the borders of Vermont opens a world of possibilities that students didn't even know existed," said Wells to the Valley Voice.

Students were able to visit organizations they had only heard about in the past. Some of the places Wells took the students included the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disease.

The students were about to experience personal tours within the facilities, they sat in on a panel discussion with researchers, and even got the opportunity to explore research labs.

Some other aspects of the visit to D.C. included the students getting a chance to experience the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This gave students the chance to interact with soldiers who had recently come back from war. The students also got the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with soldiers during their rehabilitation session and also got to visit the prosthetic lab.

Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders, also met with the students to talk about health issues relevant to Vermont. The Senator's Health Legislative Advisor also met with the students to talk about similar issues and to hear the students' perspective on these issues.

Wells said that the trip to D.C. was beneficial towards the students' academic and professional career goals, and showed them that they too can have bright futures in the health field.

"Students work very hard in the rigorous Health Careers program.  They are our future healthcare providers and will soon be college bound as they journey toward their dream of having a career in a health profession. The trip to D.C. confirms for students that they can reach their dreams," said Wells.