High school students interested in pursuing careers in rehabilitation therapy got a behind-the-scenes lesson from experienced therapists during a unique event at Tidelands Health.

“Healing Hands: Career Pathways in Rehabilitation” offered 13 students the chance to experience different rehabilitation fields, including physical, occupational and speech therapy. Tidelands Health created the program to provide promising students a real-world glimpse into the in-demand career.

“These students learned what our therapists do on a day-to-day basis,” said Frank Moreno, assistant director of rehabilitation at Tidelands Health. “They learned about the types of patients we treat, the interventions we use and the education and qualifications we have. We also put them through scenarios where they could be the patient or therapist, giving them a hands-on understanding of the fields.”

Several of the students in the Healing Hands event were inspired to pursue a career in rehabilitation through their own interactions with therapists.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries throughout high school and because I’ve been in physical therapy so much, it’s really grown my knowledge in the field,” said Aubrey Freyburger, a student at Myrtle Beach High School. “I want to help people through their injuries like how I was helped, and this event solidified it for me that I’m heading in the right direction.”

Taylor Jones, a Georgetown High School senior, wanted to participate in the Healing Hands event after watching a fellow dance team member go through physical therapy after ACL surgery.

“I’ve been interested in learning what she’s going through and even helping her at home with some of her exercises,” Jones said. “I’m determined to go into physical therapy, and I really enjoyed seeing firsthand everything the therapists do, like dry needling or taping, to help people on their health journey.”

Tidelands Health created the Healing Hands event after students expressed a growing interest in learning more about career opportunities in rehabilitation services. Students were accepted into the three-hour program after completing an application demonstrating their interest in the career field.

“In my experience, students love hearing information directly from the people who are doing it every day,” said Ashley Odom, student program specialist at Tidelands Health.

Tidelands Health offers a wide range of rehabilitation services including outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation, pediatric rehabilitation and neurological rehabilitation. Therapists welcomed the opportunity to share their passion with the students.

“You can tell just by the questions the students asked, their participation – even seeing that lightbulb moment for some of them – how much they enjoyed the experience,” Moreno said. “This wasn’t just a rewarding experience for the students, but also for us, the staff.”

Healing Hands is offered through the health system’s McRoy and Jo Skipper Initiative for Learning and Teaching, which supports the education, training and recruitment of health care professionals to serve the growing region.

Throughout the year, Tidelands Health works with area schools and educational institutions to offer internships, mentorship opportunities, shadowing, clinical rotation hours, volunteering and more. These programs give students a chance to gain practical experience while still in school.