They are given a “Stop the Bleed” demonstration with the hospital trauma team and learn skills on how to recognize a stroke and do CPR, McCloskey said. Students also meet with a registered nurse to learn how to put in a foley catheter. Once students are selected, they begin their hands-on training at Long Beach Medical, which includes being able to meet with and learn from professionals, such as a respiratory therapist who can teach them about intubation. This gives someone with a lower GPA an opportunity if they answer the questions in depth. Two LBUSD school teachers and two hospital facilitators (one being McCloskey) review the applications and hand select candidates. Students go through a selection process during which they must answer questions and provide their GPA. The pathway accepts applications for fall, spring and summer sessions.
“Early introduction has led to many individuals starting in non-clinical roles and continuing their professional development by becoming nurses, pharmacists or physicians.” Mary Medical Center, said in a statement. “It is always beneficial to start introducing students to the healthcare field early,” Carolyn Caldwell, president at Dignity Health–St. And the program’s participants represent the city’s diversity, potentially boosting the diversity of health care professionals in the future as well. The program’s data tracker shows that 97% of students who have participated in the program go on to further their education and career in health care, McCloskey said. The program, by giving students an early look at various medical professions, will also benefit the health care profession over the long-term, during a time when there is a worker shortage. It is one of the few known programs of its kind in the United States.Īnd its mission is to provide high school students with a health care-focused learning environment – geared toward a specific profession they may be interested in – that they may not otherwise have until moving into higher education, said pathway facilitator Alison McCloskey, clinical supervisor for the neurodiagnostic lab at Long Beach Medical Center.