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BWH staff, including teams in the ED (pictued above), are benefitting from expanding summer job opportunities to high school and college students.
Interning in the ED
Through a unique internship program, now in its third year, high school and college students are given the opportunity to take on roles as Unit Coordinators and Business Assistants.
In turn, full-time BWH staff have more flexibility in taking vacation to spend time with their friends and family. "This program provides a positive experience for these students and ultimately results in a win-win situation,” said Leo F. Buckley, Jr., director of Business Services, Patient Care Services. “Our student interns are exposed to careers in health care and the hospital is able to provide support for the nurses and staff.”
While staff in various departments are thrilled to have these students on board, the 30 young men and women in the program are equally excited about their summer opportunity. According to Claudio DeBarros, who will be attending Duke this fall in the University’s Pre-medicine Program, “a day at BWH is one that demands we are flexible and requires quick-thinking.”
But, what DeBarros and one of his fellow interns, Matthew Niles, a senior at the Roxbury Latin School, have enjoyed most is the fast-pace of the Emergency Department. “We are asked to wear many shirts here,” said Niles, whose interest in medicine was spawned by his father, a neurosurgeon at Faulkner Hospital. As described by Niles, both he and DeBarros were given a Unit Coordinator and Emergency Business Specialist uniform, and assume either role based on the ED’s needs. “No matter how busy it is, everyone has taken the opportunity to help us learn and gain a valuable experience here,” he said.
Emily Conway, a veteran member of the program who is now a sophomore at Boston College, has returned to BWH for her third straight year. What draws her back? “Each day is guaranteed to be a new one,” she said.