Kishwaukee Community Hospital put on its second annual health care career night Wednesday night.

This year’s event drew in much more than last, said Cheryl Fisher, director of education and recruitment and director of the event.

“Last year, we only had about 100 people the whole night,” Fisher said. “Tonight, we’ve far more than that.”

And that was just in the first 30 minutes.

The event was coordinated as a way to let more people know about the opportunities in health care, Fisher said.

It also is a way to accommodate those who are interested in the field.

“I used to get so many requests of tours of the hospital,” said Sharon Emanuelson, KCH director of community relations. “It’s just a way to showcase the best of what we have.”

In attendance were many high school students as well as nursing students from various colleges who were interested in pursuing careers in health care.

“I’ve grown up around it,” said Chris Smith, a junior at DeKalb High School. “My grandpa owned an ambulance service. I would like to one day become an E.R. physician.”

One of the most popular booths at the event was the emergency room technicians.

“A lot of people think of the show ‘ER,’” said Geni Wig, emergency room registered nurse. “It isn’t like that all the time. You really just need to get your feet wet to know if it is for you.”

Other high school students were at KCH checking out different career fields.

Kari Seaver and Hallie Lux, both DeKalb sophomores at DHS, were there to look at get information about physical therapy.

Both said they wanted to get into physical therapy because of the connection with sports.

Another of the occupations on display during the night was radiology.

“Most people are asking about school and opportunities,” said Curt Opperman, a second-year radiology student . “The market is very good right now.”

The largest attraction for the night was at a display for Rock Valley College.

Jim Shear, coordinator of the surgical technology program at RVC, had an endoscope, which he was using to look into a cantaloupe.

On a television screen next to the booth was the image from inside the cantaloupe.

“They are very interested in it because it is more hands-on and they can play around with it,” Shear said. “I always try to tell them that it is very expensive equipment and there are a lot of job opportunities for surgical technology.”

The night ended with all kinds of students getting information and ideas for their selected careers.

“It’s nice to see that students come with their parents and, hopefully, leave with a plan for their future,” Fisher said.