WBTW News 13: Carolina Orthopaedics finishes first year of mentoring program for high school students
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) — Many high school students aren’t quite sure what they’d like to do as a career in the future, but that’s not the case for 50 rising juniors and seniors from Horry and Georgetown county schools. They’ve already had experience in the medical field. It’s part of Carolina Orthopaedics Medical Mentoring Program. The program’s director, Julie Dyer, as well as St. James High School students, Jasmine Robinson and Harry Todd, were on News 13 Now Wednesday to talk about its first year. Watch the video and read below for more information
The idea began in early 2015, when Carolina Orthopaedics became interested in the idea of implementing a summer medical shadowing program based on a similar program currently in effect in Appleton, Wisconsin. The program is a medical-professional observation opportunity and provides firsthand experiences, professional mentoring, and job-shadowing opportunities that help students make educated decisions about their futures. The 9-week summer program is open to high-achieving rising Juniors and Seniors in the Horry County and Georgetown County school districts who have demonstrated an interest in the medical field. This year’s program wraps up June 16 with a graduation party June 25. There were 50 students who participated in the program this summer:
Horry County School District students (Total 35):
- (6) Academy of Academics, Science and Technology (AAST)
- (8) Myrtle Beach High School
- (9) Socastee High School
- (12) St. James High School
Georgetown County School District students (Total 15):
- (4) Andrews High School
- (5) Georgetown High School
- (6) Waccamaw High School
Students must commit at least 15 hours of time from mid-June through mid-August for participation. Shadowing schedules are based on the student’s medical career interests and are flexible around summer work and activity schedules and family vacations. This year, students had the opportunity for hands-on experience in the following areas:
- Orthopaedic Surgeon
- Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
- Orthopaedic Podiatrist
- General Surgeon
- Sports Medicine
- Certified Athletic Trainer
- Registered Nurse
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Medical Assistant
- Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
- Medical Scribe
- Radiologist
- Physical Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Surgical Tech
- Anesthesiologist
- Administration
The selection process for next year’s students begins in the spring. Interested students should:
- Visit Carolina Orthopaedics website (www.cosdocs.com / Medical Mentoring page)
- Complete application, including writing a 250-500 word essay on why they would like to participate, and obtains 2 referrals (1 professional and 1 personal)
- Print out and turn in application, essay and referrals to selected school staff
School staff selects students for participation based on a scoring rubric consisting of: Depth of character, GPA, Health Science related class completion, attendance history, and disciplinary history. Selected students are sent a Medical Mentoring Program acceptance letter.
