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A group of Great Falls students at Valley View Elementary School got a look into the life of healthcare professionals with the help of a few friends.

CMR students Shelbi Frieling and Desarae Sipes are sharing their interest in healthcare in hopes of spurring younger students to think of all the adults who help keep them healthy.

To help the youngsters relate, the high-school students use puppets to get their message across.

Desarae explained to the children, "Going to the doctor isn't scary...they actually help you, and you can become one of them, you can become someone who helps them."

Shelbi and Desarae are both members of CMR's Health Occupation Students of America, a volunteer club putting on the show for Pre-K though 5th-graders.

During this, their fifth show, they introduced Josh, Ashley and the rest of the puppet gang as one breaks a leg and goes to the hospital.

There, they meet everyone from the paramedic on the scene to the physical therapist who helps the patient heal, introducing kids to a wide range of health care occupations.

Desarae noted, "Just getting them aware of it when they're younger, maybe they'll know when they're older so they can prepare."

Shelbi and Desarae try to make the show interactive, adding new elements each time.

Shelbi said, "You get nervous, but you have to get over it and realize they are kindergartners who will think everything you do is awesome."

Kids not only learn about health professions, but also a healthy lifestyle.

Club members get paid through a grant from the national Area Health Education Center for their presentations. They'll use the grant money to help pay for state club competitions.

WEB EXTRA: more information about Area Health Education Centers is available at the agency's website, including the overview below. There is a branch of AHEC located at MSU in Bozeman.

Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) are academic and community partnerships that provide health career recruitment programs for K-12 students and increase access to health care in medically underserved areas. AHECs address health care workforce issues by exposing students to health care career opportunities that they otherwise would not have encountered, establishing community-based training sites for students in service-learning and clinical capacities, providing continuing education programs for health care professionals, and evaluating the needs of underserved communities.