Our Eagles were very busy this summer reaching out to better the Rocky Mount area through community service while also gaining real-world experience in return. Carley Outlaw, a 12th grader here at Rocky Mount Academy, dedicated the majority of her summer to the Nash UNC Junior Volunteer Program. Carley went through an extremely selective process to be chosen for a spot in this program. After being selected, Carley began the program immediately following the end of school. Although this program included long and strenuous hours, Carley was still able to enjoy her summer since she had every weekend off to enjoy time with friends and family. 

  Carley clocked in over 100 hours throughout the entire program. While volunteering at the hospital, a few of her duties included driving the shuttle to help patients to the door, organizing medical supplies, stocking operating rooms, and shadowing surgeons in different fields, including imaging, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, and general nursing. Carley was also lucky enough to scrub in on several surgeries this summer. Among these, she was most intrigued by the spinal surgery, which allowed her to see the operating room in action. This was a great opportunity for her to explore different fields and aquire greater knowledge of them. Carley chose to apply for this program due to her future plans, which include applying to nursing school as an undergraduate and maybe continuing her career in medical school. Although she is still unsure which field she will pursue, this experience is sure to help her with her decision and give her a leg up on her fellow classmates next year. 

The Junior Volunteer Program at Nash is an excellent opportunity for students interested in pursuing a career in nursing or the medical field. Gaining hospital experience in high school is a rare opportunity, so I encourage anyone to look further into applying for next summer. If you are interested in learning more about this program and its application process, feel free to reach out to Carley with any questions. It’s never too early to search for fun summer opportunities and internships!