Huntley High School’s one-of-a-kind youth residency program offered in partnership with Centegra Health System has been featured in the Daily Herald.
The article, which is the Herald‘s lead front-page feature across all November 29 editions of the paper, highlights the benefits of the program for both students and Centegra.
“It’s a pretty unique experience,” said senior Harpal Singh, who at age 17 has decided he wants to become a doctor. “It’s giving a quick glimpse into the future.”
“It’s really about expanding their knowledge of the profession,” said Bernadette Szczepanski, senior vice president of human resources for Crystal Lake-based Centegra Health System. “Our hope is these kids stay on in the health care profession, return to serve their friends, family and their community.”
Daily Herald e-edition | View full article
Since October the students have been making their way through rotations that will expose them to many departments of the hospital, from the emergency room to the pharmacy to the physical plant operations center.
They have been documenting their experiences on the Residency Reflections blog, which can be found on the HHS website. Their reflections note a combination of excitement, surprise, and appreciation for the challenge of learning alongside health professionals.
According to their mentors, the students have done well in rising to those challenges.
“They handle themselves very professionally,” emergency room nurse Kathleen Bolanowski told the paper. “They are extremely goal-oriented. It kind of gives them a well-rounded picture and makes all their school learning come together. It’s actually applying real-world elements to all of the work they have done.”
Read the full article and watch a video on the experience at www.dailyherald.com/article/20161129/news/161128966/.
