SHARON — Sharon Hospital invited five Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) students to participate in a week-long internship from July 10-14. The internship provided 11th and 12th-grade students with valuable insights into the health care field through seminars and interactive opportunities.
The selected students, Finn Cousins, Kayla Archiere, Hellen “Ellie” Sanders, Veronica Bonett, and Kara Franks, were recommended to the hospital by HVRHS and had to complete an application to be considered for the internship.
“We want to show students that healthcare is delivered differently,” said Sharon Hospital public relations director Matthew Austin. He said he hopes the students realize “there are so many more pieces to the puzzle than just doctors and nurses” and “there are case managers and dieticians, radiologists, and so many more people who are a part of the whole operation.”
For some, this was a first step in joining and learning about being in the workforce. Knowing this, the hospital introduced students to different specialties daily, learning from hospital staff in various departments, including cardiology, radiology, infection control, and pharmacy.
The interns received extensive CPR training with Jim Hutchinson, Crisis Manager at Sharon Hospital.
The Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board funded the program, providing the interns with pay and education throughout the week and relieving Sharon Hospital of any costs to support the internship.
“The interns that were sponsored…already have an interest in healthcare,” cultivated through science classes at HVRHS. The internship was designed to take those lessons and expand on them, giving the students real-life experience to complement their understanding.
Austin said he is hopeful that the students will consider health care as a career and possibly“return to Sharon Hospital.” The hospital already has one of the students returning as an employee in its dietary department.
“[The student], who is interested in cardiology ultimately, wants to come back...to learn more about the foundational runnings of a hospital,” after the exposure she received during the internship.
Sharon Hospital has gained volunteers and full-time staff through its high-school summer intern program and hopes to continue it in the coming years.
Austin is in touch with Region One Superintendent Lisa Carter’s office, and is looking for more opportunities to work with the schools both to further education and to promote involvement.
Part of “a lot of opportunities in health care” is that there “is a lot that health care can do to help the community,” but that requires human resources and participation.
The internship is the first step to increasing community involvement and outreach. “I want to remind people that we’re here, and we’re fully functional,” Austin added. “We’d love to expand the opportunity in the future,” but right now, “we’re happy with what we’re getting out of it and happy with what we can teach the students.”
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