Media Release | July 16, 2026
PHSC Media & Communications
Hands-On Look at Healthcare Careers Today, Empath Health Clinical Specialist, MJ Schwartz, Workforce Innovation & Academic Partnerships brought their Mobile Simulation Unit to Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch Health Care Discovery Summer Camp on Thursday, July 16, giving middle and high school students a hands-on introduction to health care careers through interactive clinical simulations and team-based problem solving.
The 31-foot Mobile Simulation RV hosted 28 campers, ages 11 to 18, who rotated through the unit in small groups. Students explored health care training equipment, learned basic patient care concepts, and participated in a medical “escape room”-style activity designed to build critical thinking and collaboration skills while introducing real-world healthcare scenarios.
“The best part is watching students work together. They explore healthcare concepts, ask thoughtful questions, and begin to understand what’s happening with a patient and why. These experiences spark real curiosity and interest in healthcare careers,” said Empath Health, MJ Schwartz, Clinical Specialist -Workforce Innovation & Academic Partnerships.
“By engaging students with active patient-care challenges and modern clinical tools, we aim to clarify complex medical environments,” said Ginnie Whitaker, PHSC Director of Strategic
Initiatives. “We want to ignite their curiosity and build the foundational skills they will need to become the healthcare leaders of tomorrow.”
Empath Health is a pioneering not-for-profit health network redefining healthcare through Full Life Care—supporting chronic, post-acute, end-of-life, and grief care needs across Florida. Its full spectrum of services includes home health, palliative care, all-inclusive elder care (PACE), HIV/STI prevention, grief support, and compassionate hospice care through seven programs: Empath Hospice, Hospice of Marion County, Suncoast Hospice, Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough, Tidewell Hospice, and Trustbridge Hospice (Hospice by the Sea and Hospice of Palm Beach County). With decades of trusted service and deep community roots, Empath Health reaches more than 100,000 people each year and serves one in five hospice patients statewide.
Pasco-Hernando State College, a comprehensive, learning-centered institution, serves its communities by providing an excellent, affordable and accessible education, combining high-tech educational facilities and state-of-the-art programs with a focus on teaching for student success.
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