AT VA CAREER DAY in 2016, Elizabeth Wicker of Norway High School creates digital images of teeth using technology at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center as Gavin Wright, left, and Christian VanLoon, center, then students at Iron Mountain High School, look on. Also watching is student escort Tim Campbell, right, a registered nurse.

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain will host 400 juniors from nine area high schools Wednesday for its eighth annual VA Career Day.

The VA Career Day event provides local students the opportunity to get a first-hand look — and in many cases hands-on experience — with the various careers at a VA health care facility, said Brad Nelson, public affairs officer for the medical center.

Students will be able to browse more than 30 career booths and talk with VA employees about their careers. Students also can get exposure to a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical professions ranging from nursing, physician, social work and rehabilitation medicine to engineering, finance, law enforcement and supply management.

Due to the large number of high schools participating this year, the VA will have two sessions, 8:15 to 10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. to noon. Kingsford, Iron Mountain and Niagara and Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine, Wis., will be in the earlier session, with North Dickinson, North Central, Forest Park, West Iron and Florence, Wis., in the second group.

At some of the career booths, students are able to participate in hands-on demonstrations. At the Surgical Services booth, students can prep a mannequin for surgery and try out their hand at using surgical tools such as surgical staples and scalpels.

At past career days, students interested in a respiratory career took turns inserting a tube down the airway of a computerized mannequin and at the audiology booth students could check out state-of-the-art hearing aids.

“Some of them in years past have changed their focus (for a profession) … after going through and getting some hands-on experience,” Nelson said.