High school students experience Army Medicine

By Mr. Wesley P Elliott (Army Medicine)February 4, 2015

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1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – -- Students from Harlem High School exit a school bus at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) on the first day of the Columbia County High School Health Science Training Program clinical rotation on Oct. 6, 2014. (DoD Photograph by John Corley, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Students from Harlem High School are briefed Col. Corina Barrow, EAMC Deputy Commander for Nursing, at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) on the first day of the Columbia County High School Health Science Training Program clinical rotation on ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) celebrated the completion of the Harlem High School's clinical rotation in the medical center on Jan. 30, 2015, as part of the Columbia County High School Health Science Training Program. (DoD Photograph by J... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GORDON, Ga. -- The Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) celebrated the completion of the Harlem High School's clinical rotation in the medical center on Jan. 30, 2015, as part of the Columbia County High School Health Science Training Program.

"This class of 22 students from Harlem High School are the first group to do clinical rotation's at EAMC as part of the new partnership with the Columbia County Schools. The program was designed to give students the opportunity to experience different healthcare settings but allowed EAMC staff to mentor young minds who might possibly be the next generation of health care providers and nurses," Col. John Lamoureux, EAMC Commander.

The Columbia County High School Health Science Training program allows select high school students to experience a variety of healthcare settings through clinical rotations at local hospitals.

The students are required to successfully complete three pre-requisite courses to qualify for selection into the Health Science Training Program.

Lt. Col. John V. Kulig, EAMC Chief of Hospital Education and Training, explains that the EAMC staff was very excited about this opportunity and many volunteered to support the program by providing instructors, or preceptors, and learning opportunities throughout the hospital.

Some of the learning areas included the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), inpatient 11th West, 9 floor Med surge Pediatrics (MSP), Radiology, the Laboratory, Emergency Department, Pharmacy, Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy, Respiratory Therapy, Medical Records, Nutritional Services, and Dental.

"Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday the Harlem High School Students arrived in their professional uniforms, white scrub tops and red bottoms, with Ms. Thibodeau not too far behind."

The students Healthcare Instructor, Ginny Thibodeau is a Registered Nurse and a Harlem High School graduate who supervised the program and was involved in establishing the course at EAMC.

Each class day, the students filed off their bus and proceeded to the clinical areas of their choice based on their interests in healthcare. The clinical preceptor would welcome them and introduce the student to the particular area of healthcare; providing knowledge and insight about their service, types of professionals and roles and answer the students questions, said Kulig.

"I know that everyone here at Eisenhower was extremely excited to be a part of this program and I believe that the students could feel the passion our people have for health care," states Lamoureux.

The program may have helped some of the students narrow in on a medical career field based on exit interviews that stated they are planning to pursue careers in health care.

Students described pursing education in the field of nursing, pediatric physical therapy, pharmacy, radiology, medical programming, medical coding, dental, anesthesiology, and pre-med.