Diocesan High School Students Benefit from Unique Partnership with Catholic Health Services
-
March 10, 2023The medical field offers a wide array of career opportunities. Students at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville and St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip have a unique opportunity to actively learn about these careers thanks to their special partnership with Catholic Health Services.
Through the “We Care” program, students at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School have the chance as juniors and seniors to be accepted into special program designed to educate them on careers in the medical profession. Students must apply and be accepted into “We Care”. They then participate in a two-semester program which takes place mainly outside of the school day. Completion of this program will appear as two courses on students’ high school transcripts.
During the Fall Semester, students attend 12 weeks of lectures given by Good Samaritan University Hospital’s clinical and non-clinical management level employees. The lectures focus on topics covering all aspects of hospital work, including Hospital Administration, Physicians, Nursing Administration, Human Resources, Plant Engineering, and Nutrition and Food Services. Students learn how to prepare for a career in each field as well as the day-to-day activities involved.
The Spring Semester recently began with a Medical Education Symposium at Good Samaritan. During the Symposium, students practice intubation, biopsies, and suturing. They will spend the remainder of the Spring Semester shadowing managers from various departments. This will last for approximately 20 weeks.
The program has proven to be an invaluable experience for students. According to Alicia Soler, Senior at St. John the Baptist, “The We Care Program has not only opened my eyes to all aspects of medicine but to the people who work there. The teamwork that is required to get the job done is amazing. I feel more cemented as to where I want to be, which is to focus on the field of medicine, which is what I want to do in the future. I am currently taking EMT courses, as well, so that I am able to get certification for the experience in the ER and emergency medicine.” Junior Nathalia Trejos has seen the advantages of participation as well; “Besides being in the We Care Program, I also volunteer at Good Sam’s Pharmacy Program. I feel that the We Care partnership is an opportunistic experience to help students decide what they want to do. Personally, it helped me to make a decision as to what I want to do in the future, and that is to work in the healthcare field.” At their high school graduation, two seniors from St. John the Baptist who have participated in We Care and are pursuing careers in health care will receive scholarships from Catholic Health.
Thanks to their own unique partnership with Catholic Health Services, Holy Trinity Diocesan High School has also been able to provide their students with the opportunity to learn directly about careers in medicine from their partnership with Catholic Health Services. Three times per semester, Catholic Health professionals give lectures to students at Holy Trinity. Students were also able to participate in the Medical Symposium at Good Samaritan University Hospital in January. Last summer, two Holy Trinity students were able to shadow at St. Francis Hospital. This spring and summer, additional students will shadow at Catholic Health hospitals on Long Island.
Another element of Holy Trinity’s partnership with Catholic Health Services was the creation of the Catholic Health Center for Medicine and Research at the high school. The Center includes an Anatomage Anatomy Table and VEX Robotics. Combined with the We Care program, Holy Trinity students engage in academic courses rooted in the health profession while at the same time having co-curricular experiences enhancing their knowledge and understanding of medicine and research. The Center was made possible thanks to a generous lead gift from Dr. Patrick Annello, Holy Trinity Class of 1995 and a Catholic Health physician, who worked with Principal Jim Grillo to make the school’s vision a reality. The school also benefited from a grant from the Philips Charitable Foundation and a sponsorship from Catholic Health to complete the project in time for the 2022-23 school year.
Ms. MaryClare Pellett, Coordinator of the STEM Program at Holy Trinity shared, “Our partnership with Catholic Health in our new Center for Medicine and Research adds a whole new dimension to our STEM program at Holy Trinity. We can inspire students to enter the field of healthcare as well as give our budding doctors, nurses, and other future health professionals hands-on experiences. These will include working with the Anatomy table and witnessing the expertise and/or research of Catholic Health professionals firsthand.”
Michelle Becker, Holy Trinity Science Teacher and Coordinator of the Center for Medicine and Research added, “The partnership we have developed with Catholic Health has offered so many new opportunities to our students regarding the healthcare field. Many of our graduates go on to purse some degree in medicine, and these opportunities afford them the ability to see and learn firsthand from medical professionals. Our students were able to see the inner technological worker of an operating room and also how to attend to traumatic bleeding situations. The latest installment of the Anatomage anatomy table in our Center for Science and Research lab allows our students to immerse themselves in anatomy in a new technological way which cannot be gained from a textbook. This sophisticated interactive table can be manipulated to so many various levels of tissues and body systems as well as case studies. It is a wonderful tool that is providing our students with knowledge many colleges cannot even offer.”
The Center was blessed and dedicated on February 6 by Bishop Robert Coyle, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, following a Mass celebrated with the students of Holy Trinity. Dr. Patrick O’Shaungnessy, President of Catholic Health, Fr. Kevin Creagh, Senior Vice President for Mission Integration, and other leaders of the Catholic Health Services were present for the blessing and dedication. Principal Grillo shared, “Holy Trinity is very blessed to have established such a great relationship with Catholic Health. Dr. O’Shaughnessy, Fr. Creagh, and the team at Catholic Health have been most helpful in giving our students the opportunities to learn with the best technology available. It has been wonderful to see this idea turn into reality in such a short span of time. This is just one of the many ways we are improving the student experience at Holy Trinity as we create impressive outcomes for our students.”
During the ceremony, two Holy Trinity students, juniors Kaylee Quiroz and Ariana Martinez, received the Catholic Health Scholarship for Excellence in Medical Science and Research. This scholarship is awarded to students who will be pursuing fields in medicine. Said Quiroz, “It is an honor to be chosen and recognized for my hard work and academic achievements over the years. I’m grateful to Holy Trinity and all of my wonderful teachers for giving me this opportunity. The anatomy table has helped develop my understanding of the human body. This technology has encouraged me to pursue a career in medicine, and it has helped me prepare for college pre-med courses. The anatomy table will help me in the future because it has given me and other students a lifelike medical experience.” Martinez shared, “I am grateful to Catholic Health’s participation in gifting Holy Trinity the anatomy table. The anatomy table has provided me with better knowledge of the human body, and it has encouraged me to further my interest in medicine. It is a very sufficient device that catches students’ attention in wanting to explore the medical field.”
Our two diocesan high schools are blessed through their partnership with Catholic Health Services. Students attending both diocesan high schools interested in pursuing careers in the medical field will be able to benefit from these opportunities.
Check out the link to Catholic Faith Network’s story on the Blessing and Dedication of the Catholic Health Center for Medicine and Research at Holy Trinity: https://vimeo.com/797753787
Check out Catholic Health’s Feature on the Medical Symposium at Good Samaritan University Hospital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1EHEOwVGTE