|
Hermiston School District's Health Sciences Program Writes the Script for Careers in Medicine
Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of stories highlighting Hermiston School District’s career and technical education (CTE) programs. Read the previous installments here:
How Hermiston’s CTE Programs Are Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Systems
Arts, Information, and Communications
Business and Management
As communities in Umatilla and Morrow counties continue to grow, so too has Good Shepherd Health Care System.
In the past year alone, Good Shepherd has hired more than 60 new providers and is projected to hire another 75 over the next year, said Caitlin Cozad, the health care system’s Marketing and Communications Director. Earlier this year, Good Shepherd also announced it purchased 61 acres for a new health care facility in Boardman to go along with its flagship hospital and clinics and Hermiston. |
|
"Having adequate staffing is critical,” Cozad said. "As the communities we serve continue to grow and expand, it’s essential that we have the dedicated team members in place to deliver exceptional health care, close to home."
One way that Good Shepherd is working to meet the need is by partnering with the Health Sciences program at Hermiston High School, introducing students to the variety of jobs available in health care everything from doctors and nurses to medical assistants, phlebotomists, and hospital administration.
For years, Good Shepherd has offered classes in first aid and CPR for local high schoolers. But last year the system opened its doors for on-site clinical job shadow rotations with HHS students, giving them an up-close look at the day-to-day responsibilities of health care professionals.
Jessica Reker, Community Health and Outreach Director at Good Shepherd, said the goal is to “grow our own,” providing home-grown career opportunities for home-grown kids.
|
|
“It’s really important to grow their skills and figure out where their interests lie. Our hope is that someday, they’ll want to come back and work in this community that they grew up in, so that we can continue growing our services.”
— Jessica Reker, Community Health and Outreach Director, Good Shepherd Health Care System
|
|
|
Career Readiness
Health Sciences is currently the fastest-growing career and technical education (CTE) program at HHS, said Roger Berger, the school’s CTE Coordinator.
When Janci Sivey, Health Sciences Teacher at HHS, was hired in 2018-19, the program was limited to a single introductory class. Since then, it has added four more classes ranging from general health care practices to sports medicine, emergency care, nursing, and phlebotomy.
“The students just wanted more,” Sivey said. “You can only do so much in one semester.” This year, Rylee Christianson also began teaching health science classes at HHS and Sivey said more instructors will be needed going forward as the program continues to expand.
To prepare students for careers after graduation, Sivey said they emphasize hands-on learning in the classroom. Students are taught how to properly wash their hands and wear personal protective equipment to protect against infections. They practice taking vital signs, including heart rate and blood pressure, and how to interpret those numbers.
|
|
|
By senior year, students can earn their phlebotomy certification by completing 30 successful blood draws. These are done on “practice patients,” which Sivey said can be other students, teachers, parents, or volunteers.
Even if students do not intend to pursue a career in health care, Sivey said the program gives students potentially life-saving information about their own health while imparting soft skills that can translate across any industry — things like communication, compassion, and time management.
“We like to have them hopefully career ready,” Sivey said. “The biggest thing we offer kids are the foundational skills and the confidence for when they go into their cohorts.”
Community Partners
Reker, with Good Shepherd, said the Health Science program at HHS is “one of the only I’ve seen in my career that is as in-depth as it is.
“The kids who graduate from that program are very well set up to enter the workforce,” Reker said. “They’re given medical terminology. They’re given the hands-on skills. They’re able to be certified in programs before they even leave high school. That is very rare.”
|
|
Good Shepherd isn’t the only community partner where students can job shadow in health care. Lynn Evans, Human Resources Director for Interpath Laboratory, said they also work closely with Sivey and HHS. Interpath is the largest independent clinical lab in the Pacific Northwest.
“The work that Janci and the other folks she works with are doing is extremely appreciated and valued,” Evans said. “I think in our area of northeast Oregon, they’re doing a better job than anybody else is in making opportunities available for students. We’re just very happy with the work they’re doing and wish we could get even more of their students.”
Evans said they have hired at least 10 HHS graduates as phlebotomists in Interpath’s facilities. The lab also partners with Blue Mountain Community College and Wenatchee Valley College in Wenatchee, Washington on programs for employees to earn their medical laboratory technician certification.
“The fact that (Hermiston) is accomplishing so much is inspiring,” Evans said. “I would love to see other schools doing this kind of work, connecting the learning that students are getting to real-life applications … I think it’s good for the local communities, economies, and workforce development.”
|
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
