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Teachers gain insight by shadowing
experience
by Cindy
Abole
Public
Relations
Just as students gain from shadowing employees in the workplace,
teachers learn about jobs and careers within today’s labor market.
As an alternative to attending a districtwide professional development
course, four Charleston County School District teachers chose to spend
their day learning from professional staff and employees at MUSC. Their
goal was to rediscover jobs and the necessary skills required in
today’s workforce to help steer students towards successful careers.
PACU nurse Lynn
Bond demonstrates the non-invasive blood pressure monitoring device to
James Island Middle School teacher Kelly Owens. In addition to
measuring blood pressure, the device also monitors a patient’s EKG and
oxygen saturations.
“The experience proved to be more valuable than everyone
anticipated,”
said Erica Parker, CCSD School-to-Careers middle school counselor at
Ft. Johnson and James Island Middle Schools. “Participating teachers
raved about the opportunity. They saw it as a great chance for
learning, experiencing and networking with other professionals in the
community. Our teachers also acknowledged the importance of learning
life skills and what employers expect from job candidates.”
This was a first-time experience for James Island Middle School
language arts and reading teacher Kelly Owens. Owens, an eighth-grade
teacher, was paired with Post Anesthesia Care Unit’s (PACU) Lynn Bond,
R.N., and her staff.
“This has been a great experience for me as an educator,” said Owens,
who followed Bond around the PACU unit on Jan. 20. “It was a nice
change for me outside of the classroom. I thought teachers were the
only ones busy within their jobs.”
Bond, a former teacher who switched careers to nursing in 1978, has
since earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing and loves
her role within the profession. She also teaches clinical nursing
part-time at Trident Technical College.
“We provide care for all types of patients from neonate to the
elderly,” said Bond, stressing the importance of technology and Spanish
as highly-valued skills among today’s clinical staff. “Everyone
in the PACU as well as other ICU areas within the hospital work
effectively in teams. And with teamwork, there’s always an opportunity
to teach and learn.”
Owens also discovered how PACU nurses are multi-skilled with knowledge
and experience in surgery and patient recovery especially as they
assist in the monitoring and recovery of cardiac, orthopaedic and other
specialty-care patients.
“A patient’s status can change in an instant,” Owens said. “The
area is so fast-paced, it's helpful if one is especially knowledgeable
in a specialty areas or has some experience.”
Owens helps students relate to this by emphasizing real world advice.
She continually challenges her eighth graders to plan and think ahead,
especially as it relates to careers. She reviews activities like the
job application process, assists in mock interviews and other related
skills.
Eighth grade James
Island Middle School teacher Madeline Nesmith, right, talks with
biochemistry's Drs. Jeff Hansen and wife, Debbie, during a Jan. 20
teacher-mentoring visit to MUSC.
James Island Middle School’s Madeline Nesmith teaches
eighth-grade
science. Her curriculum includes physical science with a mix of
astronomy, geology, some physics and science methodology.
The CCSD faculty shadowing experience paired Nesmith with the
husband-wife research team of Jeff and Debbie Hansen, both assistant
professors with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Although they share lab space, each has different approaches to
studying human cancer and aging. Debbie’s research focuses on the
functional (or molecular) aspects of tumor suppressor proteins while
Jeff is interested in studying the structural basis of what makes
cancer cells mortal.
Nesmith, whose previous work was in a lab setting, soon discovered that
the key to maintaining her student’s interest is to recognize science
in everyday life.
“I believe it’s important that science be taught interactively within a
school’s curriculum,” Nesmith said. “My students know how much I love
science, especially microbiology. I’m excited to share what I’ve seen
and experienced.”
Asked what qualities describe a good scientist, their answers include
the following characteristics: curiosity, understanding (ability to
problem solve), critical thinking, good study habits and attitude of
interest.
“I remember being interested in science as a fourth grader,” said
Debbie Hansen. “I learned from my teachers that there was a place
for women in science and I wanted to be part of that. It’s
important that MUSC maintain a strong, continuous relationship with
schools and students across the Tri-county.”
“We have offered work site tours to many middle school classes in the
past and this was a great opportunity for their teachers to observe the
health care professions first hand and benefit from this experience,”
said Susan Carullo, MUHA Human Resources manager of compensation and
employment.
Shadowing
students explore jobs, health care careers
On Feb. 16, participating Charleston County School District (CCSD)
students experienced life outside the hallways and classrooms of their
respective high school campuses. For half a day, high school juniors
and seniors met and talked with health care professionals and MUSC
employees to discuss their work and follow the daily contributions to
their jobs and roles with patient care.
Each year, both Human Resources departments from the University and
Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) coordinate a campuswide
Shadowing Day activity to coincide with statewide and national
recognition of National Job Shadow Day 2006. This effort pairs
community schools and employers to allow students to explore careers
and see firsthand how school relates to the workplace and careers.
“It is exciting to provide career exploration opportunities to students
so that they can be aware of the many options health care has to
offer,” said Susan Carullo, MUHA Human Resources manager of
compensation and employment.
More than 50 students from Stall, Baptist Hill, Burke, St. Johns and
West Ashley high schools participated. The group assembled in 2West
Ampitheater in the main hospital. There, they were greeted by
organizers and received tokens and information about the program’s
events. Students were greeted by Sabra Slaughter, Ph.D., chief of
staff, Office of the President.
“I see the future of health care in this room,” Slaughter said. “MUSC
is one of the most exciting places to work in South Carolina. There’s
not a single talent or skill that can’t be applied in the health care
industry. It’s a special place filled with special people.”
Students were matched with participating departments including
pharmacy, physical therapy, nursing–(Ambulatory Clinic, PACU, ICU,
Radiology, Heart & Vascular Center/Cath Lab, Transplant,
Postpartum, Emergency Medicine), occupational therapy, laboratory,
dietary, social work, accounting/budgets, information technology, human
resources, Wellness Center/physical education, pediatrics research,
biochemistry research, and Physical Plant.
This program is just one of several school-business partnership
activities organized between MUSC and CCSD. MUSC is involved in several
school-related activities from career day visits, mentoring and related
initiatives.
“This program gets better every year,” said Jodi Bateman, CCSD
Schools-to-Careers coordinator. “For some students, this experience may
be the only time they meet or interact with a professional inside their
work environment. The students enjoy an experience that’s positive.
This has been a great program that has been continually successful.”
Baptist Hill High School junior Kyra Bodrick was one of several
students participating in this year’s program.
“The experience was very interesting,” said Bodrick, whose career
interests include pharmacy and nursing. Bodrick was matched with
Department of Pharmacy Services’ Cheryl Ezman, Pharm.D., coordinator of
training and program development. The pair toured various pharmacy
settings from decentralized pharmacy areas to satellite settings around
the medical center and Children’s Hospital.
West Ashley High School’s Darryl Hunt and Kora Collins spent their
morning touring specialty areas within Radiology and the Heart &
Vascular Center to learn more about managing information and systems
within these areas. They first met with Radiology IT's Jay Crawford and
Marilyn Banks to discuss usage of the department’s Picture Archiving
and Communication System as well as other systems used to help store,
manage and display radiology’s digital images. The students also spent
time with Heart & Vascular Center’s Nick Whichard, information
services manager, who outlined automated systems and technologies
used to manage heart and vascular patient procedures and images.
“The role of information technology is to provide physicians and staff
with technology improvements and systems that allow them to be more
effective in how they provide patient care,” said Whichard.
Bateman predicted that as students return to the classroom following
their shadowing day experiences, they will evaluate their experiences
by reviewing notes and discussing answers from prepared questions they
posed to employee participants about their job or their careers.
For students who show further interest, they may be encouraged to seek
volunteering activities at MUSC or additional guidance from their
school-to-careers counselor.
“The experience also introduces students to valuable work skills and
other tools that they’ll need as they entry the job market,” Bateman
said. “The experience can be a little intimidating to a teen—meeting
people for the first time, interaction, and asking questions. Preparing
students through this program is just one step towards building
confidence and self-esteem in themselves.”
“A parent contacted me after her daughter’s job shadowing day
experience and indicated that the time she spent at MUSC Medical Center
helped confirm her interest in nursing and a career in health care,”
Carullo said. “This program makes a difference in the lives of these
students.”
Friday, Feb. 24, 2006
Catalyst Online is published weekly,
updated
as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public
Relations
for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of
South
Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at
792-4107
or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to
Catalyst
Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to
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