National AHEC

We had a fantastic time at Lourdes Hospital MASH Camp this past week. We thank the hospital staff for their hospitality, and we especially thank the camp attendees for joining us.

We just wrapped up a whirlwind of exciting workshops focusing on careers in allied health at Ithaca College Department of Health Promotion & Physical Education last week at HealthQuest.

From sports psychology to occupational therapy, and from physical therapy to emergency medical services, area students immersed themselves in these exciting careers and campus life. A special thank you to Ryan and Christiana, our chaperones, who helped capture these moments!

Have you ever wondered what happens after you have a blood test or biopsy? One Afton student had the chance to find out by participating in a medical laboratory science job shadowing program offered through Bassett Healthcare Network and CNYAHEC. Amber Sypniefski, a sophomore, had the unique opportunity to spend fifteen hours at Tri-Town Regional Hospital, where she explored how the role of the laboratory impacts the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

“My favorite part of the experience was being able to see the difference between if a person has cancer and if they are healthy,” said Amber about her time at Tri-Town Regional Hospital. “I recommend the job shadowing program to others. It’s a great way to learn different things that most people may not know about in the laboratory. I enjoyed it all!”

“The medical laboratory science job shadowing program is an excellent way for students to learn about the exciting opportunities in this high-demand career,” said Rebecca Brooks-White, Laboratory Manager at Tri-Town Regional Hospital. “We encourage students who are interested in science, and love doing hands-on laboratory work, to apply for the program. Amber took advantage of the opportunity and was able to get an in-depth look at the blood collection process, how blood specimens are processed, and the microscope identification involved in certain types of medical tests.”

In addition to gaining ‘real-life’ work experience in a local hospital, students also benefit from career counseling and guidance services that the program provides to those interested in pursuing medical laboratory science in college. The job outlook for careers in the medical laboratory is bright. According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the medical laboratory scientist job outlook is expected to grow 16 percent from 2014 to 2024, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

The program accepts applications from high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. If you, or your student, is interested in learning more about the program, please contact Laura Cichostepski, CNYAHEC’s Program Manager at (607) 756-1090 or info@cnyhec.org. Interested students may download an application by visiting CNYAHEC’s website.

HWapps offers various opportunities for students to shadow professionals and learn about health careers through our platform. Many students have participated, which in turn has expanded their knowledge and prepared them for future endeavors. One student in particular is Sara Nelson. Nelson, now a second year graduate student working towards her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Ithaca College, participated in CNYAHEC’s summer camp, HealthQuest, back in 2009. We were able to speak with Nelson about her own personal experience with HealthQuest and how this program helped contribute to her success leading up to today.

Sara Nelson attended HealthQuest during her summer break while attending G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton, NY. As an upcoming junior, she began to wonder what type of career she wanted to pursue after high school. For Nelson, this was an easy choice, as her family is heavily involved in the health field, both in nursing and pharmacy. However, narrowing down what exactly she wanted to study in the health field was a completely different story. That is when Nelson attended HealthQuest, a week long camp held during the summer months on Ithaca college’s campus. Nelson stated, “The HealthQuest camp allowed me the opportunity to get a sense of what else there was in the health field and to find where I would fit in with a career.” And through HealthQuest that is exactly what she accomplished.  Not only did she determine Physical Therapy to be her health career of interest, but she also connected to the college campus, which helped contribute to her applying to and eventually attending Ithaca College two years later.

Nelson also added, “I learned a lot about health careers while I attended camp as a camper, but what has stuck with me since my time at the camp is the passion both of my chaperones had for their majors and the love they had for Ithaca. I wanted the opportunity to help someone find their passion as my chaperones were able to help me,” and that she did. Nelson became a chaperone for HealthQuest during summer 2015 before her final year of school. She felt that her experience was so impactful while she attended as a high school student that she only hoped to do the same for someone else in that spot.

HealthQuest continues this summer beginning July 11 to the 15 at Ithaca College campus. Through HealthQuest, students will explore a variety of health careers, learn important skills for success from health professionals and college instructors through interactive workshops and get to experience dorm life and campus living during their time. Visit our program page to learn more about HealthQuest.