Southeastern Medical opens doors for high school students to explore career opportunities
CAMBRIDGE — OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center is planting seeds in the minds of local high school students in hopes they will grow into the region’s next generation of healthcare workers.
Through partnerships with Meadowbrook, Cambridge and other high schools, Southeastern Medical Center exposes students to a wide array of careers in healthcare, inviting students into the hospital for first-hand experiences and sending professionals to the classroom to provide unique learning experiences with an eye to the future.
Leaders at Southeastern Medical Center said they want to build on the hospital’s strong ties to Guernsey County and at the same time create and sustain a robust pipeline of talented young healthcare workers.
“At OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center, our mission is to improve the lives of those we serve,” said hospital president Wendy Elliott. “Our partnerships with Guernsey County schools are vital to accomplishing that mission by developing the next generation of healthcare workers in the region. The need for skilled healthcare workers continues to grow, and we are committed to helping meet that need through strong relationships with the community in which we work and live.”
Southeastern Medical Center (formerly Guernsey Health Systems) has employed several generations of Guernsey County families, said Christopher Haight, human resources business partner. The hospital “is a very deep part of this community. Our goal is to bring the next generation in to see what we do and give them an opportunity to start a career and serve the community.”
In-hospital experiences have included radiology, physical therapy and labor and delivery. Southeastern Medical Center also sends guest lecturers into the classroom. The hospital’s Wound Care manager brought photos and first-hand experience to Meadowbrook High School students studying tissue anatomy.
Madi Fraley, career navigator in the Rolling Hills Local School District, said it was an eye-opening experience for the teens. For one student who shadowed in the labor and delivery unit, “it reaffirmed her passion to be a labor and delivery nurse and solidified her desire to work in that field.”
Fraley appreciates the way OhioHealth has opened its doors to students and looks forward to scheduling more visits and an entire onsite tour later in the year. “Our students are really excited about this. Some have asked to go back.”
Haight said students not interested in direct patient care roles can observe other jobs in areas such as nutrition services, clinical technology, environmental services, facilities maintenance and patient registration. “We show students that you can have a solid career here, with good money, education benefits and advancement opportunities. This can be a springboard to their adult life and aspirations for the future,” he said.
According to Fraley, “A lot of students struggle to realize that there are good jobs in Guernsey County. OhioHealth has helped change that mindset. Our goal is to keep graduates in the community.”
With about 700 employees, Southeaster Medical Center is one of the largest employers in the county, Haight said. “We’re committed to growing in the region, and the career navigators (Fraley, Tricia Nichols at Cambridge High School, and others) are going to help with our recruiting. “Eventually I want to have jobs waiting for graduating local students that have formed a relationship with us through hands-on observations and career discussions.”
The partnerships, though relatively new, “have had good liftoff,” Haight said. “We’re really excited to start building on what we’ve started.” Plans include hosting career days and developing volunteer opportunities for high schoolers. Southeastern Medical Center also has agreements in place with other local schools and is exploring opportunities to have leaders speak to the students, to help with practice interviews and career discussions, and to provide opportunities for observing and shadowing in different hospital departments.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Southeastern Med and schools work to educate future healthcare workers
