Nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals: BOCES' New Visions

For many years, UR Medicine Thompson Health has been among the local organizations to partner with Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES New Vision programs for high school seniors interested in health care.

The students are a familiar sight on campus, shadowing Thompson professionals to augment on-site classroom learning. This year, in addition to students in the health therapy program, students in the medical program are at Thompson as well.

“We couldn’t be happier to host these students and their instructors. The students’ enthusiasm and zest for knowledge is energizing to be around, and we are honored to be a part of their journeys,” said President/CEO Michael F. Stapleton Jr.

At Thompson, Dr. Michael Tiffany teaches the health therapy sciences course, and RN Hannah Young teaches the medical course. Both have students interested in a variety of career paths and although there are some differences, both offer college credits as well as a variety of internship/mentoring opportunities throughout a variety of healthcare settings. There is also a medical program based at Geneva General Hospital.

Tiffany has been teaching at Thompson for six years, and with New Vision for eight. While Young’s students hold their classes at Thompson five days a week, his classes are at Thompson two days a week, with the other three at BOCES Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center — which has a dedicated Wellness Center — in the hamlet of Flint.

“I can’t say enough about the programs,” he said. “The caliber of students we get is high, and they’re so well-prepared when they get to college. I love hearing how well they’re doing.”

Sarah Brownlee, a senior at Victor High School who is among Young’s students in the medical course, said the program is “life changing,” not only as an educational experience but as an opportunity to re-evaluate possibilities within medicine. For years, she was certain she wanted to be a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, but shadowing nurses and technicians has led to her consider the possibility of serving in the pediatric cardiology field as a nurse practitioner instead.

“Being able to learn concepts that most pre-medical students learn in college and observing medical professionals with patients has taught me the beginning of the necessary characteristics and knowledge that are needed to be a successful worker in this field,” she said.

Brownlee said she looks forward to each day, knowing she gets to keep building the medical mind she will use once she fulfills her career dreams.

Rebecca Ayers, a senior at Bloomfield High School, said it’s hard to adequately summarize all she has gained through New Vision.

“My aspiration for medicine is no longer hypothetical or theoretical; the experiences and knowledge I’ve gained in my study and shadowing experience materialized my future in front of me,” she said, adding that the program has allowed her to define what she is meant to do.

“In a period of so much uncertainty, I understand my future, and thanks to this program, I am prepared to chase it,” she said.

The Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center serves 14 area school districts. Applications to the New Vision programs are due during the late winter of students’ junior year, and can be obtained through school guidance counselors. The programs are rigorous, and there are a limited number of spaces, so it’s considered quite competitive.

“The caliber of students we get is high,” Tiffany said.

Stapleton, who meets with the New Vision students, encourages them to work at Thompson during college, as patient care technicians, resident assistants or Nutrition Services associates, for example. He also urges them to return to the health system once they have received their degrees and certifications.

“These young people are absolutely incredible. They already have the passion, and once they have the knowledge and experience, there will be no stopping them,” he said. “They are exactly the type of exceptional individuals we want on our team.”

Application deadline

If you will be a high school senior next year and are interested in a career in health care, the application deadline for New Vision Medical Career Program for the 2022-23 school year is Friday, March 25. All students slated to graduate from surrounding schools in 2023 are welcome to apply for this Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES program, which works in partnership with area healthcare organizations. Interested students should reach out to their school counselor and check out fal.cn/3mmQa for more information.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: BOCES' New Visions program nurtures next healthcare generation