Students at Wayzata High School had a unique opportunity to learn about a career in the medical field.

The need for orthopedic surgeons across the country is growing, and the demand remains high.

“I got in touch with amazing doctors, got some hands-on experience,” said John Oagubo, a senior at Wayzata High School.

“I hadn’t really thought about surgery before; it seemed really daunting,” said Anna Almeida, a junior at Wayzata High School.

On Friday, 10 students from Wayzata High School trained with orthopedic surgeons from Allina Health at West Health Surgery Center in Plymouth.

“I think it really pushes me more towards that medical field,” said Reese Woodward, a junior at Wayzata High School.

“There’s been a lot of excitement, a lot of wide eyes like ‘wow this is cool technology,'” said Tyler Shepard, Associate Principal at Wayzata High School.

It’s part of a new program to get young people thinking about what they want to do for a career in a field that needs more people.

“If you think about the population of the U.S., it keeps going up, people are living longer. They’re going to have more injuries like arthritis, for example, so the demand for surgeries is going to increase,” said Dr. Bishoy Gad, Orthopedic Surgeon at Allina Health.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says this shortage could become a full-blown healthcare crisis. The key reasons are an aging workforce and the high demand for surgery.

Gad says only 800 orthopedic surgeons are trained a year nationwide.

“We want to make sure we’re garnering enough interest in the next generation,” he said.

Shepard says this is part of the school’s growing medical-related curriculum and the push to provide more real-life experiences.

“We have much, much more interest next year,” Shepard said.

For these students, they say events like this are inspiring.

“You can picture yourself in that position and see how successful you can be,” Oagubo said. “At the base of everything I want to do, I want to help people.”

“Even if I don’t end up being a doctor, I know I for sure want to be in the medical field helping people,” Almeida added.