What started as a way to introduce students to body donor labs, has now developed into an overview of the variety of health sciences programs Briar Cliff offers.

On Friday, high school students from around the area visited Briar Cliff for Health Sciences Day. Each spring, the college invites students who are interested in pursuing a degree in a health field to tour their facilities. Most of the students who attend are in higher-level related classes such as anatomy or advanced biology.

Around 100 students attended this year and got to explore the body donor lab, and learn about physical therapy, nursing, social work, and, biology and chemistry.

“It doesn’t include everything we have health-wise, but it does give them a taste of where we’re at with health programs,” said Matt Thomsen, vice president of enrollment.

While some students may not be interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, the tour also gives them a chance to visit the Briar Cliff campus.  

“They weren’t going to be a health person, but they liked what they experienced,” he said.

Thomsen said there are professionals in the area who give credit to the program as the reason they went to medical school.

Kennedy Anderson, a senior in Briar Cliff’s nursing program helped with the nursing portion of the day, teaching students how to properly start an IV.

She said the day gives students exposure to different things they will encounter if they chose the various program paths to ensure they like it.

Kelsey Stevens oversees the body donor lab. She said for many students, this is their first experience seeing what is under the human skin.

“For a lot of them it gets them excited about going into the health professional field,” she said.

Other than health sciences, the university also holds an education day, social work day and criminal justice day.