NAPLES, Fla. — High school students got an inside look at the future of health care - and possibly their own careers on Thursday. Immokalee Foundation students toured Physicians Regional Healthcare System in Naples.
WATCH: Students test drive cutting edge medical equipment during Naples field trip:
Students met the Physicians Regional CEO and tried out the Da Vinci 5. Surgeons use the $3 million robot for a range of procedures, including heart valve replacements and cardiothoracic surgery.
"I am really excited about the future," said Karen O., a high school sophomore.
The Immokalee Foundation asked that we only use students first name and last initial to respect their privacy.
"This building is really, like, in the future. It's modern, it's really cool."
FC Naples soccer players signed autographs and cheered on students as they toured the facility.
The visit is part of the Immokalee Foundation's Career Pathways program, which exposes students to different job opportunities.
40 students explore jobs in healthcare, business management, education, and construction management.
"Our goal is to not only train the next workforce but also have them stay here," Immokalee Foundation CEO Noemi Perez told FOX 4. "We want to keep the talent here."
The foundation has partnered with Physicians Regional for the last four years, according to Perez. Physicians Regional CEO Scott Lowe said it's a "mutual win" for the medical group. Lowe said finding workers is a challenge in Southwest Florida.
Florida's registered nurse vacancy rate was 21% in 2022, according to the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) - the highest since at least 1995. Healthcare groups have made progress. The registered nurse vacancy rate is down to 7.8% in 2024, according to FHA.
But it can take more than two months to hire critical positions including physical therapists, medical technologists, and radiology technicians, FHA said. That's because of the training required for those positions.
"We look at the Immokalee Foundation as a great resource for our community," Lowe said. "And certainly for health care as a whole there's a lot of really, really bright kids out there."
Students aren't just looking at the medical side of things. Karen said she spoke with Physicians Regional chief operating officer, who described his journey from the trauma unit to the board room.
"It was just a really fascinating story," Karen said. "It's relating a lot to me."
