Courtesy Photo Alcona sophomore Ryan Windsor stands in front of MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena, where he job-shadowed a nurse in the intensive care and progressive care units.

ALPENA — As an aspiring anesthesiologist, Alcona High School sophomore Ryan Windsor decided to take the opportunity to job shadow at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena over his spring break.

Windsor was able to shadow a nurse in the intensive care (ICU) and progressive care (PCU) units. He shadowed two days for four hours each day.

To participate in the experience, Windsor had to apply and send a resume to the hospital, much like applying for a normal job, Alcona Early College Coordinator Helen-Ann Cordes said. Cordes, Windsor, and the medical center coordinated to get Windsor’s application ready and make sure he could shadow over spring break.

Windsor wasn’t able to shadow someone in the field he’s interested in due to safety and health-related reasons, since anesthesiologists typically work in surgery, he said.

Windsor was limited to 16 hours of shadowing experience. He used eight of those hours and could use the other eight at a later date.

“He’s our first student that’s ever taken advantage of it too, which was pretty neat,” Cordes said. “And Ryan actually came to me and was like, ‘Hey, I’m interested in job shadowing, could you help me with this?’, which is pretty unique to have a sophomore take advantage and start thinking career focus.”

Cordes said she emails once or twice a year to remind students that they have the opportunity to job shadow. She’s had a couple of students interested in the medical field, but Windsor was the first to take advantage of the experience.

Windsor is in the early college program and will take his first college class starting next school year. He plans to earn his pre-medical degree, which is an associate’s degree, through early college. He’s hoping to transfer to a school like the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, or Michigan State University to continue pursuing the medical field. He will then need to go to med school, he said, to officially become an anesthesiologist.

“It takes around 12 to 14 years to complete the course, but that’s also with residency put in as a factor,” he said. “So it is going to take a while for me to get to my goal, but I have high hopes that I’ll be able to get there.”

Windsor said he liked just having the opportunity to learn at the hospital. He said he preferred his time in the PCU because the patients there were more active and there was more to experience. Windsor talked to some of the patients there about his career interests and said he got positive feedback from them.

While shadowing, Windsor got to see a nurse discharge a patient. He also observed how hospital beds are cleaned once a patient is done using them.

Windsor could use his additional eight hours to shadow in other departments if he wanted to, Cordes said.

“It’s kind of a cool networking opportunity as well,” she said.

Windsor said he wants to move to a bigger city after completing med school and residency so that he can help more people. He likes living in a rural area, though, and may come back to Northeast Michigan at some point.

Mary Morris, Alcona Middle/High School principal, praised Ryan’s initiative and dedication.

“Ryan is a great example of what happens when students take advantage of the opportunities available to them,” Morris said in a press release. “His ambition and drive to pursue a career in medicine at such a young age is truly commendable. We are proud of him and excited to see what his future holds.”

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.