Evangelical Community Hospital Hosts 2021 High School Healthcare Careers Internship Program

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 15 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.4 million new jobs. Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups. This projected growth is mainly due to an aging population, leading to greater demand for healthcare services.

Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg is taking proactive steps to prepare students interested in healthcare-related careers to meet the future demand through a unique program that allows them to experience many aspects of care. 

This year’s class includes 12 individuals, made up of students having completed their junior or senior years at schools throughout the surrounding districts. The students must have a grade point average of 3.3 (88%) or better and the willingness to experience different areas of the healthcare environment.

The 72-hour internship program provides 24 hours in the classroom and 48 hours of one-on-one interaction with nurses and patients. Hospital educators teach the students a variety of skills including CPR certification, lifting and transfer techniques, and personal care skills. The classroom training includes a fully recreated patient stay where students learn how to care for a patient from feeding, bathing, and oral hygiene, to making the bed and completing paperwork.

The high school students of this year’s class come from five school districts including Lewisburg, Line Mountain, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, and Selinsgrove.

The students began classroom training in late June and will be placed in six-day rotations in varying departments including Obstetrics, Acute Care, Orthopaedics, Intermediate Care Unit, Imaging Services, Wound Clinic, Emergency, Intensive Care, and One-Day Surgery following their classroom instruction.

Students can use their summer experiences at the Hospital to meet job shadowing requirements while experiencing first-hand a career path they might wish to pursue. For more information on the High School Summer Healthcare Careers Internship program, call 570-522-2727 or visit www.evanhospital.com.

PHOTO:

Evangelical Community Hospital’s 2021 High School Summer Healthcare Careers Internship Students

Pictured, back row from left to right: Sean Witmer, Mifflinburg; Sage Hoover, Line Mountain; Lydia Geipel, Selinsgrove; Trista Tehansky, Line Mountain; Grace Hilkert, Lewisburg; and Hailee Schlief, Midd-West.

Front row from left to right; Aleigha Heimbach, Selinsgrove; Rylynn Long, Mifflinburg; Emma Bobb, Midd-West; Ashley Snook, Midd-West; Abigail Times, Selinsgrove; and Kylie Figard, Line Mountain.