The Valley Voice
Seniors interested in Allied HealthTuesday, December 13, 2005 By Sarah Carns
As the population ages and technology expands, there is an increasing demand for jobs in the health field. The Allied Health Internship at the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center is geared to give high school seniors who plan to have a profession in the medical field a preview of what their future will be like. During the second semester of this year seniors Katrina Beckman, Leslie Giesey, Meredith Lattanzio, Amanda Shirey and Katie Showalter will take part in the program on “odd” days, while Aly Codrick, Kimmy Firtz, Katie Graham, Sarah McLaughlin, Noel McLeary and Katie Thrower will attend on “even” days. The girls will leave for the last block of the day and commute together to EWCTC. The internship is intended to provide students with information they need to make a decision on the right medical career for them. For Sarah, that is exactly what it will do. Sarah plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh, Main Campus. “I’d like to go to be a surgeon or a pediatric doctor. I believe this program will help me, because it shows me what it’s like to work in the health field and it’s a good experience. It will be like my reality check,” she said. The program is affiliated with Latrobe Area Hospital and area clinics. Interns will spend over 120 hours in clinical rotation and classroom instruction. Their classroom instruction will provide a better understanding of medical terms, infection control, first aid, CPR, patient confidentiality, legal issues, anatomy and physiology. Their clinical experiences will be in radiology, pharmacy, physical therapy, emergency services, ophthalmology, dentistry, family practice, nursing, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy and the lab. Kimmy Firtz plans to attend Duquesne University for pharmacy. “Job shadowing certain health professions will help me to be better prepared for the challenges ahead,” said Kimmy. Katie Graham has narrowed her choices to either Indiana University of Pennsylvania or St. Francis University. “I think Allied Health will be good for us because we will get hands-on experience and it will help us decide what we want to do with our futures,” she said. Heather Johnson and Alex Richardville took part in the program last year as juniors. Heather plans to become an occupational therapist or orthopedic bone surgeon. “It was an interesting program; it gave an insight to the different health fields,” she said. |