ALPENA - Alpena High School health care occupations students are participating in three weeks of intensive job shadowing experiences that are centered around the complex world of health care. The high school students are learning through one-on-one, hands-on training at Alpena Regional Medical Center in two groups. The first group has 20 students and the second has 31, but all students will have similar opportunities and chances to learn about the different health care possibilities.
"It's a great opportunity. They have three weeks of blocked training time and are job shadowing in the hospital four days a week, for two hours," Debbie Naylor, registered nurse and the nurse manager for women's health and School to Work coordinator, said.
Naylor said she originally decided to set up the job shadowing program at ARMC for high school and college students and adults who are considering making a career in the medical field.
"This program has been around for at least 10 years, maybe more. It gives people an opportunity to see the different types of health careers. It's important for people to see what they will be doing in the career of their choice and other ones, because after trying something they might find they like another area better," Naylor said.
The junior and senior AHS health care students receive one-on-one training with someone working in a particular career choice. The students job shadow in a variety of different fields, including medical surgery, pharmacy, intensive care, physical therapy, radiology, cancer center, and the hyperbaric wounds center.
"I'm proud of this program and of our supportive hospital and staff. It shows a great commitment from the hospital and the people that work here to carve out a two-hour block so people can get an idea of what kind of career they are interested in," Naylor said.
While Naylor admits the two high school groups are bigger than what she typically arranges for job shadowing at the hospital - the average size is 12 students - she said AHS health care occupations instructor Jennie Spomer helps coordinate the program.
"Overall, it's a win-win situation. We offer students the opportunity to see what's out there, and we're hoping that after they finish school and additional training they'll come back for a job," Naylor said.
Spomer works closely with Naylor to set up the high school students' job shadowing experiences. Spomer also worked as a nurse at ARMC for two years before deciding to switch over to teaching.
"After I decided to teach I started to think about different ways that I could evolve the job shadowing experience and make it more intensive," Spomer said.
According to Spomer, this is the second year the job shadowing program has been offered to students for three weeks, which she said makes the training program more concentrated. In the past, job shadowing opportunities were offered to a maximum of 12 high school students at a time, once a month.
"This is huge for them. They get to try out other options and hopefully find something they really enjoy," she said.
Spomer said her students journal their experiences, write reflections, and have the chance to discuss what they are learning with each other.
"They also have a chance to learn how to communicate well, dress appropriately, and find a focus and appreciation for the training that they get here," Naylor said.
While Spomer's class currently is working at ARMC, the students also have an opportunity to work at other off-site community centers, such as Alcona Health Center, Long Rapids Family Care, Thunder Bay Family Dentistry, Thunder Bay Therapy, Health Wise, and Sunrise Vet.
"We are working hard to establish community-based relationships for students. They started job shadowing at the hospital, but it's branching out to anything health related," Spomer said.
Spomer said she is preparing her class for entry level health career jobs. When her students are not busy with hands-on training they are studying anatomy, physiology, vital signs, transferring patients, or helping at the school's blood drive.
"They also get CPR, first aid, and OSHA safety training. The best part is they can get college credit, one towards Ferris if they got an 80 percent or higher on the OSHA safety test; it's a great opportunity for students," Spomer said.
Naylor said anyone who participates in job shadowing at the hospital is treated like one of their employees.
"We hold them at a high standard. Before they start their training they go through HIPAA confidentiality training. This is a serious program that is in place to help them out future when they are looking for jobs, which is why we hold them to the same standards as the rest of our employees," Naylor said.
Emily Siegmon can be reached via e-mail at esiegmon@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.