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Selected for the second year of the unique program are Citali Erazo and Nikole Spencer of Fillmore, and Santa Paula residents Jessica Cortes, Jessica Diaz and Lizbette Tiajero. All but Erazo - who had a school band obligation - gathered at Santa Paula Hospital to meet members of the SCVWF board of directors as well as VCHCA and hospital officials. Pictured (Back Row) Mary Deines (Executive Director), (Board Members) Bill Bartels, Dr. Christine Johnston, Tracy Shoop, Bea Frias, Jennifer Heighton, Gloria Camarillo. (Front, Students) Nikole, Lizbette Tinajero, Jessica Cortes, and Jessica Diaz. |
Dr. Sam’s SHIP: program welcomes teenage hospital interns
June 14, 2013
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
For the second year the Santa Clara Valley Wellness Foundation is giving area teenagers the opportunity to experience a wide variety of possible health care careers with the Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA).
Named in honor of a noted physician/hospital administrator Dr. Sam Edwards of Santa Paula, the Summer Health Internship Program (SHIP) will allow five high school juniors the chance not only to explore medical field career options, but also give them some pocket money during the five-week internship.
Selected for the second year of the unique program are Citali Erazo and Nikole Spencer of Fillmore, and Santa Paula residents Jessica Cortes, Jessica Diaz and Lizbette Tiajero. All but Erazo - who had a school band obligation - gathered at Santa Paula Hospital to meet members of the SCVWF board of directors as well as VCHCA and hospital officials.
The SHIP program took about a year to design and will give students the chance to explore all aspects of the medical field. The foundation serves Fillmore, Santa Paula and Piru; it partnered with the Ventura County Health Care Agency - which it works closely with on other programs - to offer the SHIP opportunity.
SCVWF Executive Director Mary Deines noted students were recruited using various methods, including at a recent Santa Paula High School Health and Career Fair. Bea Frias, chief nursing officer and a foundation director, said up to 10 students applied for the slots, which will pay the interns $8.50 an hour funded by SCVWF.
Each intern went through the complete hiring process, submitting a résumé, transcript, letters of recommendation and a cover letter, and had to pass muster with a three-person interview board. The students will be paired with all types of medical workers - from physicians and therapists to nurses and support staff to administrators - “to really get an understanding of how they all connect together... and see how this healthcare system works as well as it does,” which Frias noted includes communications.
The interns start June 17 and will work full-time, five days a week for eight hours rotating between county hospitals and clinics.
SCVWF Chair Gloria Camarillo, also a medical professional, said the students are not the only ones who are “very excited.... These interns are fabulous ladies and the SHIP program is not only for them, but also for the staff” the interns will be working with at the different facilities.
“They’ll learn about the professions, go to college and become doctors, nurses, X-ray technicians. The whole purpose of the program is to expose interns” to real world work situations.
Camarillo noted one intern from last year’s inaugural SHIP class is now working for the county at a medical facility.
Lizbette is looking forward to the program, especially as, “I’ve never had a job before! It will be a new experience and I’ll get to see how everything works!”
A member of the SPHS Ag Academy, Lizbette said a counselor announced the SHIP program to her class. She admitted to being nervous during the selection process, but Lizbette said, “I want to be a nurse and after that become a doctor!”
Nikole is already considering a career in orthopedics: “I really cannot wait and I’m really excited about what is out there!” Already a hospital volunteer, Nikole said her career choice dovetails with her devotion “to helping people, my life is based around helping people.” But she added, “I wanted to make sure I could handle hospital life before I make a career of it!”
Jessica Diaz, who wants to be a nurse working with babies and small children, said she is looking forward to helping with routine testing and exams. Her family members suffer from diabetes, and Jessica said she wants to be an influence for the good, “take care of myself and show my family they can be successful” in improving their overall health.
X-rays fascinate Jessica Cortes, who said she is looking forward to learning more about the technology and “all the different machines.... I want to work with something that has to do with the medical field,” and the internship will show her career options.
Next year SHIP might accept more students, but Camarillo said for now it was evident by the enthusiasm shown during the interview process that “We have a pretty good group of students, competent and ready to go!”
And the interns will be going to plenty of places literally and figuratively: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to experience all sections and aspects of health care,” said Frias. “The advantage here is they’ll see even the small little bits and have every opportunity” to gain experience that will be life impacting and help the interns achieve any and all goals.
The staff at the hospitals and the clinics “can’t wait for the students!” said Camarillo.
Deines noted the SCVWF also offers annual $500 scholarships to high school graduates interested in any aspect of the medical field.
