Mount Si students get tutorial in health care
September 11, 2008
By Emily Lee
Project H.O.P.E. students Shelby Sydell, left, and Kayla Wargi observed and assisted Snoqualmie Valely Hospital professionals during a recent program. Photo Contributed
“I checked vitals on a patient,” said Shelby Sydell.
There’s a sentence not many high-school students have the opportunity to say. This summer, two students from Mt. Si High School, Sydell and Kayla Wargi, were chosen to participate in the Project H.O.P.E. paid-internship program. The five-week experience had both juniors placed in all the departments of Snoqualmie Valley Hospital — from the emergency room to the radiology unit to the operating room.
“It was really intense,” said Wargi. “Being in that environment for so long was really exciting.”
Project H.O.P.E. (Health Occupation Preparatory Experience) is a state-wide program that encourages high-school students from underrepresented and rural communities to receive first-hand experience in health care professions. The goal is to allow these high-school students to see the range of opportunities in health care work and help facilitate career development.
Throughout the 120 hours of service, the two students had the opportunity to shadow doctors, talk to nurses and even take a look at the administrative side of health care.
The end result? They have a better sense of what they want to pursue in health care and developed the passion to pursue it.
“My opinion about what I want to do in the future has really changed since the internship,” said Sydell, who has had an interest in the medical profession since she was kid. “I went from wanting to be a surgeon to definitely thinking about nursing….I really underestimated what (nurses) did.”
Along with on-site experience, the interns take a one-day tour of the University of Washington campus and gather information regarding educational routes and financial aid options.
“High school students can get a chance to look at a university setting and be attracted to the university setting,” said Sandy Kangas, director of workforce developing at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, who also holds a Ph.D. in nursing.
Both Wargi and Sydell are now down the path to becoming nurses. Wargi is a full-time running start student and is taking classes at Bellevue Community College to fulfill prerequisite requirements for nursing school.
Sydell also plans to take running start classes at Bellevue Community College, then enroll in a four-year nursing degree program after high school.
“It was just as marvelous for the staff as the two students,” said Kangas “(The staff) had the chance to experience the bright-eyed enthusiasm of these high school students and…they had the opportunity to teach.”
Project H.O.P.E. is administered by AHEC (Area Health Education Center), a nonprofit organization dedicated to equal and accessible health care for underserved rural and urban populations. The internship program is a response to a growing demand of health care professionals, especially in disadvantaged populations.
A 2001 Washington State Board of Health report concluded that racial and cultural minorities and people from rural populations are at high risk of inadequate access to health care. By building a group of health care professionals from diverse backgrounds, AHEC hopes to eliminate health disparities.
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