HOSA CNA and CCMA students got an up-close look at healthcare careers last week during a day packed with tours, training, and real-world exposure through Georgia Highlands College and Atrium Health Floyd.

Students began with a visit to Georgia Highlands College, touring the nursing and dental programs and interacting with the school’s state-of-the-art training mannequins used to simulate real medical scenarios. The group then headed to Atrium Health Floyd for lunch and an inside look at key areas of the hospital, including the helipad, trauma rooms and emergency department, the laboratory, surgical services, the operating room, and radiology.

One highlight of the day: students were the first ever to get hands-on time with the hospital’s new multi-million-dollar da Vinci robotic surgical system. The da Vinci system is designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures with enhanced vision, precision, and control—translating the surgeon’s hand movements into tiny, exact motions through small incisions, which can mean less pain and faster recovery for patients. The system includes a surgeon’s console, a patient-side cart with robotic arms, and a 3D high-definition vision system, and it is fully controlled by the surgeon.

Organizers say the experience was so engaging the students didn’t want to leave—and it offered a powerful glimpse into the many pathways available in healthcare.