Students Explore Health Care Careers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The six high schools involved are Whitko, Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee, West Noble and Fairfield.
Phil Metcalf, career and technology coordinator for Wawasee Area Career and Technology Cooperative, said, "We were looking to have this health career exploration program, just in conversation between (vocational director for Warsaw Area Vocational Center) Ken (Surber) and I had and (Ivy Tech Director of Admissions) Mary Marty who then got (Ivy Tech Campus Dean) Joann (Walgamuth) who came over with Charle Hakes. (Hakes) is the director of human resources here at the hospital.
"We just sat down and talked about a program we'd like to have which would allow kids to explore health careers. A lot of them think they want to be doctors or nurses and when they get into it, they find out this really isn't for them."
The result of the conversations and planning is the Introduction to Health Care Systems course offered for the first time this year for select students.
During the first semester, students will take classes in the classroom at Kosciusko Community Hospital. KCH donated the classroom space for the program. They get five hours of college credit through Ivy Tech, which is providing the instructor.
"They're getting college credit for medical terminology, dosage calculation and CPR/first aid," said Metcalf.
Second semester, students will be in different observation and practice sights.
"It might be here in the hospital; it might be in ER, might be in obstetrics, it might be physical therapy, radiology, the different places here in the hospital," said Metcalf. "But then around the hospital, there's also a pharmacy, an ophthalmologist, a nursing home, a funeral home, so they're going to be getting experiences for various amounts of time."
The kids will rotate through the 22 different observation sights lined up to find out, using the skills they learn first semester, if they've met the competency-based instruction, and to test their skills to guarantee they have the basic fundamental skills that they can use for on-hands training, Metcalf said. Students will then know if the health care field is really for them and in what area of the health care field they are interested.
The students meet every day for three hours for the 180-day school year.
All of the students are seniors. "That was a requirement of the hospital because of maturity and confidentiality of working with patients," said Metcalf.
To get into the program, students had to go through an interview process. First, the students wrote an essay of why they wanted to get into the program and what they wanted to get out of it. They filled out an application and went through an interview with Surber, Metcalf and an instructor. "We chose 16 and now we have 15," Metcalf said.
Involving the local high schools, KCH and Ivy Tech, Metcalf said, "It's a wonderful partnership because (KCH) is supplying the classroom, Ivy Tech is supplying the instructor and the two cooperatives are supplying the students. And we're sending tuition money to Ivy Tech and getting reimbursed by the state for the students we have in the program. And the students benefit. And the places we've kind of patterned this after said a lot of students come back after they've gone to whatever school and got their degree, come back to the community. It's like growing your own."
Warsaw AVC worked to get the program approval from the state, Metcalf said, and bought the textbooks. The Wawasee AVC bought equipment and supplies. Federal money was used to help start the program.
Diana Yarian, Warsaw AVC program assistant, said the cost to the students to participate is less than $200. Cost includes books, scrubs and a variety of necessary inoculations.
"We're real pleased the Ivy Tech nurse we have is a (registered nurse)," said Metcalf. "She'll be working with the girls and (one) guy. So we're really pleased and excited and think this is the way of the future as far as these partnerships."
Along with the classroom and sight training, the students are under additional pressure as "guinea pigs" for the program. Whether the program continues next year depends on the students this year, Metcalf said.
"We're looking to them to provide the leadership and maturity to make sure this thing goes smooth," he said. "They look like they're up to the task."
"They're a really good group of kids," said Surber.
Walgamuth said, "I think one of the most wonderful parts of the program is the collaboration. Can you imagine how much it took to get all these groups together? The hospital. Ivy Tech. It was a monumental task."
Planning for the program began two years ago. [[In-content Ad]]
The six high schools involved are Whitko, Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee, West Noble and Fairfield.
Phil Metcalf, career and technology coordinator for Wawasee Area Career and Technology Cooperative, said, "We were looking to have this health career exploration program, just in conversation between (vocational director for Warsaw Area Vocational Center) Ken (Surber) and I had and (Ivy Tech Director of Admissions) Mary Marty who then got (Ivy Tech Campus Dean) Joann (Walgamuth) who came over with Charle Hakes. (Hakes) is the director of human resources here at the hospital.
"We just sat down and talked about a program we'd like to have which would allow kids to explore health careers. A lot of them think they want to be doctors or nurses and when they get into it, they find out this really isn't for them."
The result of the conversations and planning is the Introduction to Health Care Systems course offered for the first time this year for select students.
During the first semester, students will take classes in the classroom at Kosciusko Community Hospital. KCH donated the classroom space for the program. They get five hours of college credit through Ivy Tech, which is providing the instructor.
"They're getting college credit for medical terminology, dosage calculation and CPR/first aid," said Metcalf.
Second semester, students will be in different observation and practice sights.
"It might be here in the hospital; it might be in ER, might be in obstetrics, it might be physical therapy, radiology, the different places here in the hospital," said Metcalf. "But then around the hospital, there's also a pharmacy, an ophthalmologist, a nursing home, a funeral home, so they're going to be getting experiences for various amounts of time."
The kids will rotate through the 22 different observation sights lined up to find out, using the skills they learn first semester, if they've met the competency-based instruction, and to test their skills to guarantee they have the basic fundamental skills that they can use for on-hands training, Metcalf said. Students will then know if the health care field is really for them and in what area of the health care field they are interested.
The students meet every day for three hours for the 180-day school year.
All of the students are seniors. "That was a requirement of the hospital because of maturity and confidentiality of working with patients," said Metcalf.
To get into the program, students had to go through an interview process. First, the students wrote an essay of why they wanted to get into the program and what they wanted to get out of it. They filled out an application and went through an interview with Surber, Metcalf and an instructor. "We chose 16 and now we have 15," Metcalf said.
Involving the local high schools, KCH and Ivy Tech, Metcalf said, "It's a wonderful partnership because (KCH) is supplying the classroom, Ivy Tech is supplying the instructor and the two cooperatives are supplying the students. And we're sending tuition money to Ivy Tech and getting reimbursed by the state for the students we have in the program. And the students benefit. And the places we've kind of patterned this after said a lot of students come back after they've gone to whatever school and got their degree, come back to the community. It's like growing your own."
Warsaw AVC worked to get the program approval from the state, Metcalf said, and bought the textbooks. The Wawasee AVC bought equipment and supplies. Federal money was used to help start the program.
Diana Yarian, Warsaw AVC program assistant, said the cost to the students to participate is less than $200. Cost includes books, scrubs and a variety of necessary inoculations.
"We're real pleased the Ivy Tech nurse we have is a (registered nurse)," said Metcalf. "She'll be working with the girls and (one) guy. So we're really pleased and excited and think this is the way of the future as far as these partnerships."
Along with the classroom and sight training, the students are under additional pressure as "guinea pigs" for the program. Whether the program continues next year depends on the students this year, Metcalf said.
"We're looking to them to provide the leadership and maturity to make sure this thing goes smooth," he said. "They look like they're up to the task."
"They're a really good group of kids," said Surber.
Walgamuth said, "I think one of the most wonderful parts of the program is the collaboration. Can you imagine how much it took to get all these groups together? The hospital. Ivy Tech. It was a monumental task."
Planning for the program began two years ago. [[In-content Ad]]