Vim & Vigor - Spring 2018 - Community Healthcare - 53

"Those are the kind of results we
are striving for," says Leo Correa, chief
executive officer, St. Catherine Hospital,
about the mock orientation for 70
high school students from across Lake
County. The program was made possible
through a collaborative partnership with
Area Career Center in Hammond and
Community Healthcare System.
Students are enrolled in a two-year
career pathway program at the Area
Career Center to learn medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, math and
measurement skills, healthcare occupations, job outlooks and effective resume
and application techniques. Those who
successfully complete the class graduate
with an honors diploma and a certificate
as an emergency medical technician or
a certified nursing assistant.
"We've done college visits before, but
this was the first time we've partnered
with a hospital to show students what
the healthcare world looks like from
the eyes of a working medical professional," explains Monica Hardy, RN,
one of two Health Careers program
instructors. "The opportunity helps
them make informed decisions about
future careers."
Area Career Center health science
instructor Christine McCollum, RN, BSN,
was beaming as students dressed in navy

WEBSITE

Where It Begins
To learn about a career
with St. Catherine Hospital
or other hospitals within
the Community Healthcare
System network, visit
comhs.org/careers.

At St. Catherine Hospital, Director of Imaging, Cardiology Service and Radiation Roberto
Gonzalez talks about future job opportunities in radiology with Area Career Center students.

blue scrubs were led into areas of the
hospital visitors rarely see.
"It's an honor to see the kids so
excited about our noble professions,"
McCollum says.
She is hopeful the collaborative
relationship between Area Career
Center and St. Catherine Hospital
and Community Healthcare
System continues.
"Our goal is to get every student in
the program some experiential learning
through a shadow program or internship," she says.
As part of the orientation lesson,
St. Catherine Hospital recruiter Kathleen
Roque provided an overview of policies and employee benefits. Students
heard tips on what recruiters look for in
job candidates. Other employees spoke
about empathy, compassion, quality of
care values and operational excellence.
Roque described a wide range of
job opportunities, including phlebotomist, pharmacist, nurse and respiratory therapist.
"Keep all your options open," Roque
suggests. "This is where it starts."

Roberto Gonzalez, director of
Radiology, says the healthcare field is
ever-changing and the need to fill jobs as
baby boomers retire will grow.
"There are multiple opportunities
here," he says. "Careers in the field of
radiology and nuclear medicine are now
in high demand."
Robert Patterson, a Highland High
School junior, says seeing what a job
in healthcare is like through the lens of
those who work in the field is a fantastic opportunity.
"My career path was to either
become a firefighter EMT or a paramedic," he says. "Now, I see myself as a
nurse practitioner."
As a not-for-profit, community-based
hospital, Correa said St. Catherine Hospital
is dedicated to educating and training students from an early age to help put them
on a pathway that provides well-paying
careers and rewarding job opportunities.
"It's our hope that once trained, these
students will come back to their community to serve areas where doctors,
nurses and other healthcare professionals are in high demand." ■

SPRING 2018

http://www.comhs.org/careers

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