Annual Helicopter Landing Excites YLHC Students

Young Leaders in Health Care (YLHC) started their series of hospital meetings off with a bang, or rather a wind. To commemorate the first of the monthly hospital meetings, a helicopter and three emergency pilots of Mercy Air Lifeflight came to the Encinitas Memorial Scripps Hospital to meet with YLHC students from all over San Diego. Scripps Hospital sponsors the club and once a month brings in professionals to talk to the students about healthcare professions. The purpose of the club is for students to discover and learn about all the different careers in healthcare— that is, careers other than simply a nurse or doctor.

Students met in the Conference Center at the hospital to eat pizza and cookies before heading out to see the helicopter land. The helicopter circled around everyone until finally landing with a giant blast of wind and dust, thoroughly blinding the around 100 students attending the meeting.

The three emergency pilots showed the emergency kits they carry on the helicopter and let students go into the helicopter to see the tiny space inside where they try to stabilize people on the way to the hospital. The lead pilot Larry Lockey mainly spoke to the kids about not driving while texting or being under the influence.

The emergency helicopter is most often used when there is a serious crash and the driver is so badly injured that they need a helicopter to take them rather than an ambulance, said the emergency team. Lockey said that drunk and texting drivers are those who need to be transported by helicopter most often. Being told not to drink or text while driving was sobering coming from a man who saw teenagers in this situation time and time again, according to students.The hospital meeting ended with the helicopter taking off into the sky and more pizza.

The Young Leaders in Health Care club meets every Thursday in room 50 during lunch.