CATAWISSA RR - College graduates know all too well the value of real world experience when seeking employment.
A cooperative education program at Southern Columbia Area is helping its students get a leg up in the real world even before they choose where they'll study after high school, if at all.
The program started in 1997 and, one year later, its current coordinator, Chris
Force, was hired, helping mentor just five seniors enrolled in the out-of-school experience.
It's grown much since then, with 53 seniors enrolled this school year. They work off campus in fields such as nursing, physical therapy, business and restaurant management.
"It's something they really see here in the district as important, getting the work skills," Force said.
The most competitive partnership of the co-op is with Geisinger Medical Center, Force said.
Students must submit a resume to work in various departments in the hospital. The list of candidates is narrowed, with those left required to go through the same hiring process any prospective candidate would, right down to the background checks and personal interview.
Five Southern Columbia students are working at Geisinger this school year, three in nursing and two in pharmacy.
Alicia Slagle, 17, works in the labor and delivery unit. Mara Wilson, 18, works in central pharmacy.
Both work morning shifts, waking early to arrive at the hospital for 7 a.m. They work until about 10 a.m. and must return to school for 10:30 a.m. to finish out the day.
The students in the Geisinger cooperative work five days a week year-round, an admittedly tough regimen, Force said, and one that works well to build up the students' maturity and sense of responsibility.
Wilson, already accepted at Wilkes University to study pharmacy, performs tasks that a pharmacy technician assistant would - filling syringes, pre-packing medication and handpicking medicine for the pharmacists. That said, all of her work is double-checked to ensure accuracy.
"It's exposed me to different medications and I'm able to work with the pharmacists and get their input," she said of the experience.
Susan Jows is a supervisor of pharmacy technicians for Geisinger.
"We try to make them understand that as an employee, they're looked upon just like anyone else - to come to work on time and be committed to their job," she said.
The experience, Jows said, is not only valuable to a student considering becoming a pharmacist but also for those interested in becoming a pharmacy technician.
"It's not a guaranteed job but it certainly helps when they apply," she said.
Slagle plans to pursue nursing as a career, with an eye on becoming a registered nurse and eventually earning a degree in midwifery.
She takes on the role of a nursing assistant during her time in the labor and delivery unit, tending to patient needs, checking vital signs and performing safety rounds.
Students interested in becoming nursing co-ops at Geisinger must first observe nursing duties before committing to the program. That way they're prepared for the blood and guts of it all, literally and figuratively.
"That's the day I saw my C-section, the day I went in to observe," she said.
It didn't scare her off.
"It was very interesting. It's not what I expected. You watch it on TLC and they don't show you anything, and then you see it (in person) and it's like, 'whoa,'" she said.
"We always gauge if they have made it through the C-section standing and awake, it's a very good experience," said Loribeth Ryder, clinical nurse educator for inpatient labor and delivery unit, adding that Slagle did great.
"I was definitely standing," Slagle said. "I was jumping for joy, I think."
When judging students' performance at Geisinger, Ryder said she must take into account their age and experience.
But they're held to same standard as other nurses' aides, she said, and they receive the same training and are required to uphold the same basic patient care expectations and standards.
"It is something that sticks out to many employers just because they are showing that extra effort and real interest in the field," she said.