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Interns reflect on career experiencesWhat better experience could there be for a high school student wanting to go into health care than to spend a semester volunteering at UMass Medical Center or developing x-rays at Tri-River Family Health Center? These are just some of the internship experiences students have had as part of their school-to-career programs.
On May 18, five students from Uxbridge and Millbury High Schools sat around the table at the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation for some pizza and conversation about their experiences. Millbury High School senior Amanda spent her internship as a dispatcher at UMass Medical Center in Worcester, moving patients around the hospital. She wants to pursue a career in radiology and spent an additional job shadow day observing what goes on in the x-ray department. She's currently on the waiting list for radiology/ultrasound technology at Quinsigamond Community College, which won't have any openings in the program until 2006. "I liked the freedom that dispatchers have," said Amanda, "and I learned so much about all the different part of the hospital." Uxbridge High School senior Crista, another future x-ray technician, spent an hour every day working with the radiology department at Tri-River Family Health Center in Uxbridge. "I loved it - I learned so much," she exclaimed. Crista watched ultrasounds, mammograms and x-rays, and in her final few weeks got to develop x-ray films herself. Crista had a few surprises about the job. "I didn't know how much paper work you had to do, and all that double-checking." Millbury junior Leah also explored the health care field at UMass Medical Center. As the person who delivers flowers and mail, she said she liked seeing patients' faces light up when she came into their room. She's not sure which area of health care she will pursue as a career, but will continue her internship in her senior year. Uxbridge senior John interned with a probation officer at the Uxbridge District Court. "I got to see both sides of society. I never knew probation was so involved. Just about everything that comes into the court goes through probation." John also got to tag along, with police on standby, on some home visits. His mentor, Officer Patrick Foley, helped John with his successful application to Foley's own alma mater Westfield State College. John plans to major in political science and criminal justice. Uxbridge senior Genevieve wanted to spend her last high school semester exploring public relations, so she took an internship at the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and BVCC Education Foundation. "I had no clue what a chamber of commerce was about," she said. Then she read the Chamber's mission statement about promoting "… the economic vitality… and quality of life in the Blackstone Valley", and nervously thought she didn't know much about the economy. Genevieve became an integral part of the office, helping to prepare for events, sending out tourism packets, handling phone calls and membership support, and trying out her artistic skills by designing the brochure for the BVCC Education Foundation golf tournament. Genevieve observed that the variety of tasks helped her discover where her strengths and weaknesses lay. She plans to continue in the communications/marketing field when she attends the University of Hartford next fall. The local business people and educators joining the students at lunch agreed that internships are helpful to expose students to careers in the area, and businesses readily welcome the energy and bright new ideas the students bring. In 2003-2004 the BVCC Education Foundation helped support 310 internships among school districts in the Valley. And for second-semester seniors such as Crista, "It's a lot better than sitting in classes all day." "Focus on Education" May 2004 Read previous Focus on Education articles...
Six years of focusing on education. (November 2006) |
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Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
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