WCCC senior aims to be doctor
(Photo Provided) MaKenna Long inserts a breathing device into a test dummy.
(Photo Provided) The 2022-2023 Washington County Career Center Student Ambassadors pose outside the center for their photo.
(Photo Provided) MaKenna Long
(Photo Provided) MaKenna Long inserts a breathing device into a test dummy.
(Photo Provided) The 2022-2023 Washington County Career Center Student Ambassadors pose outside the center for their photo.
(Photo Provided) MaKenna Long
Trending
An influential summer internship helped direct MaKenna Long's career path.
Long, who is a senior in Washington County Career Center's Pre-Nursing program, said she always wanted to be in a medical field but decided to become a doctor after interning this past summer at Marietta Memorial Hospital.
On her first day, she witnessed doctors and nurses attempt to save a patient in the emergency room.
"I was in a conference room and we dropped everything. I watched the doctors and nurses go through the process to save this patient. It was a high paced environment," she said.
The patient passed away, but Long took away important lessons.
"It's just life. It doesn't mean the doctors and nurses didn't do everything they possibly could. They didn't do anything wrong. You take that experience and learn from it," she said.
MMH came to the career center during her junior year to recruit students. Long decided to apply.
"If I did the internship, I could figure out what I wanted to do," she said.
Long was invited for a day of interviews with different hospital departments. She was selected for Respiratory Therapy but also got to experience the emergency room as well.
"I think working in a high intensity environment like the emergency room would be ideal for me," she said.
Long said growing up on a ranch influenced her desire to go into the medical field.
"I've always thought the medical field was fascinating. I've delivered different livestock babies and administered medication to livestock," she said.
Long said her calm demeanor under pressure and tendency to over communicate will help in her career path.
"When I'm talking to someone, I want them to know what I am saying. Miscommunication in medicine could mean the difference between life of death," she said.
For the spring semester, Long said she will be able complete all of her academic credits and be able to get a job as a State Tested Nurse Aid.
"I need to gain that experience to succeed. It's going to make me respect the nursing aids I would be working with as a doctor," she said,
Long will attend Ohio University after graduation and then apply for medical school.
Outside the classroom, Long plays for the Warren High School volleyball team. She transferred this year after playing for Fort Frye High School for three years.
"I don't regret transferring at all. The girls are nice and I enjoy being around them," she said.
The mental aspects of volleyball are what Long enjoys most.
"It's more of a mental game than a physical game," she said. "Yes, you have to be athletic. But if you're not present, the other team will target you. It's all about strategically playing and placing the ball."
Long said she won't play volleyball in college due to a back injury her junior year that caused her to miss the majority of the season.
"I'm not wearing my body out that bad," she said. "There's more to life than sports."
Kristen Hainkel can be contacted at khainkel@gmail.com