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ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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Athens Drive Health Science students jump headfirst into medical field

Ahmad+Odeh%2C+senior%2C+speaks+about+his+summer+internship+with+the+NCSU+Biomechanical+Engineering+program+at+the+2017+Superintendents+Breakfast.
Ahmad Odeh, senior, speaks about his summer internship with the NCSU Biomechanical Engineering program at the 2017 Superintendent’s Breakfast.

This summer, 44 Athens Drive students in the Health Science Academy partook in internships across Wake County. Except for two rising juniors, all were rising seniors that used this opportunity to further their interests in the health science field and jumpstart their connections for potential future careers.

“The Health Science Academy is an outstanding opportunity that comes with an obligation to complete four courses in the Health Science curriculum and a 135-hour internship during the junior to senior year,” said Jennifer Hulsey, Health Science Academy Director.

The internships were arranged primarily by the students seeking out opportunities and pursuing connections that they may have with members in the healthcare field, but Hulsey did assist with connections of her own. Such connections include the Duke University Infectious Diseases and Global Health Institute sectors, North Carolina State University Turtle Team Rescue, Veterinary School, Textiles and Bio-Engineering fields, as well as volunteer and job-shadowing opportunities with WakeMed.

While not all students were able to intern in a hospital setting, 15 had the opportunity to get an inside scoop on hospital activity through WakeMed’s MyChart Initiative. Athens Drive’s new status as a Magnet High School with focus on the health sciences has broadened the access to materials and opportunities immensely. Most high school students have to wait until college or even graduate school before establishing the relationships and learning what these students did this summer and throughout their high school classes.

“This year, the academy is offering an Animal Science Pathway, in partnership with N.C. State University,” said Hulsey. “Students can graduate from Athens Drive with a veterinarian assistant certification and be well on their way toward becoming a veterinarian technician, a good start toward potentially becoming a veterinary doctor one day.”

Senior, Mary Grace Bunch, completed an internship for her own experience this summer at Rex Hospital through the VolunTEEN program. Bunch worked in the surgical services materials department with another teen, where they both got to experience daily duties of working in a hospital and the responsibilities associated.

”I learned about what happens behind the scenes in terms of packing cases for surgeries and making sure the hospital and Operating Rooms are stocked with what they need for surgery,” said Bunch. “It furthered my interest in wanting to go into the medical field…It was a valuable use of time to learn more about the hospital and I really enjoyed it.”

These internships are invaluable experiences for students looking to go into the health sciences. Not only do they give the students connections and relationships with professionals, but they also show students both the challenges and rewards of working in health care. Some people that enter medical school realize later on that it is not their true passion, wasting time and money, therefore exposing high school students to this early on is imperative.

“These experiences allow students to explore various careers and find their true passion and career pathway in college. I feel that students in the Health Science Academy have the upper edge when it comes to college applications and the soft skills identified by community business partners necessary for the workplace,” said Hulsey. “The sky is the limit when it comes to the plethora of careers available to students in Wake County and at Athens Drive.”

 

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