Seacoast students get inside view of health-care careers: How to get involved

PORTSMOUTH — Students considering careers in health care now have a way to explore what that means from inside local hospitals.

Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Frisbie Memorial Hospital and Parkland Medical Center in Derry — all owned by HCA Healthcare — are offering programs to help high school and college students take a look at many avenues.

Amy Lester, director of volunteer services, said the programs started a few years back, but were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The pandemic definitely resulted in a bit of distaste for health-care careers," said Lester. "We felt strongly that we needed to address this and get young people interested again. We love it here, and we are dedicated to health care. The question became: How do we get the word out? How do we let young people know what they can find here?"

Lester said they are hopeful the programs have a long-term benefit for the hospital.

The three programs are:

Extended Learning Opportunity

Lester said this is a program for high school students.

"We (Portsmouth and Frisbie) work with most of the Seacoast schools, including Portsmouth, Winnacunnet, Exeter, Newmarket, Epping and Oyster River," she said. "We work with students at Spaulding, Dover and Somersworth."

Lester said interested students must submit an application, detailing their area of interest (nursing, emergency room, etc.). Upon acceptance, they are immersed in the hospital experience, according to Lester.

"We place them in the depths of interesting cohorts," said Lester. "They might answer phones or call bells. Maybe they are organizing charts. They visit with patients but are not able to touch them or do any hands-on care. Communication skills are a great result here."

Henry Dangora, 18, is a freshman University of New Hampshire student, and a graduate of Exeter High School. He took part in the extended learning program and will do a Healthcare Exploration summer internship this year.

"I heard about this through my high school," he said. "I got to work in the clinical settings and got really great experience."

Dangora said he experienced many areas of the hospital.

"I began by answering call buttons," he said. "I loved the interaction with the patients, whether they wanted medication, a meal, whatever. It was great to talk with them, and I relayed their requests to the right person. I learned I love the medical field, so I applied for the summer program, wanting to keep doing this."

Dangora found his favorite experiences were in the intensive care units and the emergency rooms.

"I love the energy, the action," he said. "There was always something going on."

Dangora has decided he wants to pursue a career as a physician assistant, although he still has a summer program to take part in and might change his mind.

Dylan Brothers, academic coordinator, said the pillars of this program include assisting with intakes and team-building activities. He said planned professional development activities, such as speakers, help students learn.

Two programs a year take place, one from February to May, and a second from September to December.

"Kids get a high school credit for their program," said Brothers. "They spent part of their school day with us, dependent on their schedules. The kids are assigned mentors, who help them identify the areas they might be interested in. For example, a student interested in maternity can shadow someone in the maternity unit."

Parkland, located in Derry, offers the program to students from Salem, Windham and Pinkerton.

Lester said at the end of the program, each student gives a presentation on a topic of their choice, to hospital staff, family and friends.

Healthcare Exploration

This program is a summer internship. Lester said local hospitals accept an equal number of college and high school students.

"All three hospitals work together on this, and they also work independently," said Lester. "We choose the cream of the crop, and they spend time shadowing all their areas of interest. They shadow different people all summer. Speakers' series run throughout, and at the end, they present to the CEOs of the hospitals."

Lester said the staff love the program, and everyone finds the experience rewarding.

"Schools are all over this program," she said.

Brianna Machado, 21, is a junior at the University of New Hampshire. She completed the Healthcare Exploration program last summer and now works at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in a lab position.

"I knew I wanted a career in the medical field," said Machado. "I didn't really know what, but doing this solidified it for me. I plan to enter medical school to become a PA (physician assistant).

"I applied because I wanted some perspective," she said. "I worked in a different area about every day. I worked with doctors, nurses, surgeons and in the pharmacy. I was unsure which path I wanted, and it helped me to clarify, to see what I liked and what I maybe didn't want to pursue."

Machado said the experience was completely worth the time she put into it. She said she would recommend it for anyone considering a career in any aspect of health care.

"I got exactly what I needed out of the program," she said. "It was a great experience."

The deadline to apply for this summer's Healthcare Exploration program is March 8:

Information: https://careers.hcahealthcare.com/pages/new-hampshire-summer-program

To register for a virtual information session: https://forms.office.com/r/FtvKwGTCYA

Volunteer Program

Lester said the program is a great choice for those interested in healthcare but might not have the time commitment needed for the other programs.

In a way, the volunteer program will remind the older generation of the candy stripers who were found in hospitals all over the country.

"It's like that, without the striped uniform," joked Lester. "The volunteers do things like manage snack carts, bring books and magazines to patients. They might help fill supplies in the emergency room or help run a therapeutic art program."

For the first time, Lester said the hospitals ran a Health Care Career Expo in October.

"Over 150 high school kids were here," she said. "They were bussed in for the day. Every department in the hospital was represented, and it went so well. We will definitely do it again."

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Seacoast students get view of health-care careers at HCA hospitals