{"id":4738,"date":"2016-06-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/2016\/06\/21\/hey-kids-interested-in-a-career-in-health-care\/"},"modified":"2019-02-05T16:34:16","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T23:34:16","slug":"hey-kids-interested-in-a-career-in-health-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/hey-kids-interested-in-a-career-in-health-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Hey kids: Interested in a career in health care?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Young Sydney Gruber has always wanted to be a surgeon. But did she have what it takes to do this highly skilled and demanding job? After spending 50 hours observing everything from hernia operations to the removal of a brain tumor, her answer is a resounding \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning Link students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a hospital setting, an experience that helps them determine whether to pursue a career in health care.
\nGruber, 18, just finished the Learning Link Career Observation Program at Memorial Hospital and it only cemented her career plan. It also focused her field of study: She wants to be a fetal neurosurgeon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my goal,\u201d said the recent high school graduate who leaves Colorado Springs for George Washington University in the fall.<\/p>\n

Her experience is not an unusual one for students attending the Learning Link program, said Bonnie Nixon, office supervisor for Volunteer Services at Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the students have a very good experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The program has been going for 17 years and is \u201cvery successful,\u201d with more applicants than openings each year, Nixon added<\/p>\n

Originally it was for high school juniors and seniors but because there was so much interest, the hospital had to limit it to seniors only. This is the first year students had to be 18 years old to enroll. Now, the program also accepts college students of any age. And though it\u2019s preferred that students be enrolled in school when they apply, the program will take recent graduates who are exploring career options.<\/p>\n

Learning Link sessions are offered in the fall and spring semesters and during the summer.<\/p>\n

But more than meeting those basic requirements, \u201cThey need to have a genuine interest in going into health care as a career,\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n

With 60 applications for only 20 openings, the selection process can be tough. Applicants are judged on a points system that includes their references and a personal interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we interview them, they have to be very proactive when they are engaging with staff,” Nixon said. “They have to have good communication skills \u2013 if they are very quiet and reserved, they don\u2019t get as much out of it. The more interested they appear, the more the staff will engage with them. If they have a unique story as to what brought them here that also can make them more likely to be chosen,\u201d she added. \u201cA personal connection helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Often, the hospital\u2019s junior volunteers apply and they have an edge: \u201cThey are already working at the hospital, so that gives them an advantage,\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n

Students who are accepted get about 50 hours of observation time in different areas of the hospital. They view surgeries, births, colonoscopies, emergency department traumas, radiology and more.<\/p>\n

The program \u201chelps them make more informed decisions about what direction they want to take in their careers going forward,\u201d Nixon said. \u201cAnd even if they decide not to go into health care, that’s still a good thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes they come in thinking they want to go into health care and they find out that\u2019s not what they want to do,” she added. “They don\u2019t have to spend all that time and money to find out. Sometimes it just changes focus of what they might want to do. They also find out that health care is not just physicians and nurses. There is a broad spectrum of careers, sometimes things they never even thought of or knew about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayleigh Glaspie was the volunteer coordinator and youth programs coordinator for the hospital for four years. She recently became a patient representative.<\/p>\n

Glaspie said the career observation program \u201cgives that connection between classroom learning and a real work environment.\u00a0 Students get to shadow different professionals to see if that\u2019s the career route they want to take.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program is tailored to each student, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents get to choose the area they want to shadow in. We usually have about 15 participating departments, so there are lots of options. They can be assigned to the OR, observing surgeries, or to patient care \u2013 just a variety of different areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The general rule is one student per shift per department.\u00a0 A student may be assigned to one person or just to a department, so they can shadow everyone from physicians to techs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff acts like mentors,\u201d Glaspie said.<\/p>\n

Students generally find the program valuable, if their parting comments are any indication.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning Link has opened me up to so many more career options.\u00a0 I originally wanted to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, but now I would like to be a pediatric trauma surgeon,\u201d said former participant Stephanie Huisingh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Learning Link program has been extremely beneficial in my decision-making process,\u201d said student Sarah Stafford.\u00a0 \u201cAlthough I was strongly confident that I want to pursue a career in the medical field, the program influenced my desire to do so, as well as work in a hospital instead of a clinic.\u00a0 This is a great program that is offered and is very informational and helpful for high school students who are interested in health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney Gruber said it was a little scary at the beginning, but she soon acclimated to the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it was more about trying to stay out of everybody\u2019s way, but once I figured that out, it was a pretty cool experience. Everybody there made me feel welcome, so it was really great.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the students who benefit from the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for our staff, too,\u201d Glaspie said.\u00a0 \u201cIt kind of reignites their passion, when they\u2019re teaching someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

To apply for the program, there is an application online on the UCHealth.org website. Type \u201cLearning Link\u201d into the search area. \u00a0The program is free.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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After spending 50 hours observing everything from hernia operations to the removal of a brain tumor, her answer is a resounding \u201cyes.\u201d Learning Link students have the opportunity to immerse […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[314,55],"class_list":["post-4738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-careers","tag-memorial-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHey kids: Interested in a career in health care? - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Young Sydney Gruber has always wanted to be a surgeon. 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