ECHO 2022
Exploring Careers in Health Occupations (ECHO) is a health careers exploration program that provides fun, interactive, multi-disciplinary experiences through a variety of learning opportunities to high school students who are interested in pursuing careers in health care.
ECHO is a unique summer program in the Western Maryland region that provides interactive experiences and exposure to a broad spectrum of health careers. As an AHEC West signature health careers pipeline program, now in its 17th year, ECHO provides high schoolers hands-on experiences while exploring a wide variety of health careers. Ideally, ECHO encourages students pursuing a career in the health professions to return to a rural community to practice, a community preferably located in the Western Maryland region.
Due to COVID-19, ECHO has transitioned to a hybrid program featuring a variety of virtual activities and discussions, to expose students to various aspects of the healthcare field, as well as in-person tours to top-notch medical facilities. Virtual events have included Q&As with nurses, medical students and administrators, virtual animal dissections, presentations on 3D-Gel printing, and virtual tours of health facilities. A hallmark of ECHO, these day-long trips have taken students to colleges and universities including the University of Maryland School of Medicine, WVU, the National Institutes of Health, and Baltimore Shock Trauma, where they engage with healthcare professionals and learn first-hand about the many career fields available in healthcare.
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY:
“ECHO helped me make a decision that I enjoy working with people and that I want to help change lives.”
“ECHO directly affected what area of healthcare I wanted to pursue. It provided me with direction on how to pursue this career path”
“ECHO was a great experience for me and opened my eyes to many more possibilities.”
“I have always wanted to pursue a healthcare career and ECHO gave me hands on experience to confirm that is really what I want to do.”
“I always knew I wanted to be a Doctor. ECHO helped me pursue and get aquatinted with options. I support this program!”
“The ECHO experience was great. Will never forget it! Not cut out for healthcare field.”
