This school year, students at Highlands are stepping up to be part of the St. Elizabeth Hospital’s internship program. This program is a great opportunity for students to learn about a work environment, work on managing time with school and work, hone the skills of customer service, learn valuable lessons about procedures in a workplace, and work with other students with a common goal.
“Interns can gain experience, learn new skills, see procedures, and improve communication skills with staff, patients, and families. They will learn time management, learn to work independently, and collaborate with staff,” Margie Arnold, a St. Elizabeth Associate said.
The St. Elizabeth High School Service Internship Program allows students to engage in and learn about various aspects of healthcare from both a patient care and supportive role. This program seeks to provide students with exposure to how departments work together and manage patients’ health care experience overall.
“The St. Elizabeth High School Service Internship Program provides students with the opportunity to explore healthcare departments that come together to impact the patient experience, both clinical and non-clinical,” Arnold said.
To provide interns with valuable, hands-on experience, the program begins by understanding each student’s interests and career goals, allowing for personalized schedules.
Two days of orientation are provided to prepare for roles, and throughout the year, staff regularly check in to gather feedback and ensure a meaningful experience. Depending on the department, some interns focus more on observation, while others take hands-on tasks, ensuring a balanced and enriching learning experience.
“We first meet with interns to gain a better understanding of their personalities, their career interests. They receive 2 days of orientation at the beginning of the year to prepare them. Once they begin, staff meet with interns one-on-one throughout the year to get feedback and assist in providing the best experience for the student and the department,” Amanda Gastright, St. Elizabeth physician said.
To build strong students and workers, this program helps to build up expectations and work ethic. Students are taught through this program how to have better performance, growth, and the ability to contribute to the team.
“Students must have effective communication skills – both verbal and written. It is vital to a successful internship. Interns must engage with their mentors and all staff within St. Elizabeth to gain an overall understanding of how hospital departments work together,” Gastright said.
This program also gives the students the chance to try different careers. It allows having real work experience in the medical field. This gives students the opportunity to discover what jobs suit them best.
As a senior, it can be difficult to choose a career, so having hands-on experiences like this can help solidify a college major decision.
“I’ve always been interested in the healthcare field, and I think it has really helped me decide that I want to become a nurse because, like, seeing that, like hospital, like up close, like, being there experiencing what they’re experiencing,” St. Elizabeth intern Ella Cunningham (12) said.
Interns at St. Elizabeth also learn customer service when approaching patients. Having good social skills is vital in any workspace, especially those involving healthcare. Having the possibility to gain experience in a professional setting before college can be rewarding in the long run.
“I feel like my communication skills have helped a lot, or like I’ve grown with my communication skills because you talk to a lot of doctors and like to be very presentable and like, stand up for yourself,” Cunningham said.
All internships that Highlands offers are great opportunities for seniors.
Students participating in the St. Elizabeth Internship Program can learn what job fields they would be interested in, better communication skills, improved customer service capabilities, and experience in a work space.
