At an end-of-year celebration, Reading Hospital recognized six local seniors from Reading and Wilson High Schools who have completed the Reading Hospital High School Internship Program. The reception celebrating the accomplishments of the next class of interns was held on Thursday in the Thun/Janssen Auditorium of Reading Hospital. Desha Dickson, Associate Vice President, Community Wellness at Reading Hospital; Waldo Alvarado, Principal, Reading High School; Matt Bender, Assistant Principal, Wilson High School; Sergei Szortyka, President, Quaker Maid® Meats, Inc. and each intern gave remarks.
This year the interns, three from Reading High School and three from Wilson High School, worked in several departments including Children’s Health Center, Sleep Center, SICU, Central Monitoring/Virtual Patient Observation, R4E (Medical) unit, and T4 (Critical Care) unit.
The program typically runs the length of the academic school year but began in January this year due to COVID-19. Students were assigned to their department Monday through Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. To be considered for the internship the student must be an incoming senior, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and have a good attendance and behavior record.
The goal of the program is to expose students to the wide variety of careers in healthcare, both clinical and non-clinical, and provide them with hands-on opportunities to learn. The internship also teaches them skills such as financial literacy, resume writing, and interviewing techniques.
This year’s graduates include:
- Melany Agosto from Wilson High School will attend Alvernia University to study Nursing
- Brittney Reyes-Avila from Reading High School will attend Alvernia University to study Nursing
- Emily Imhoff from Wilson High School will attend Hofstra University to study Neuroscience
- Breandha Saint-Louise from Reading High School will attend Alvernia University to study Biology
- Victoria Pluviose from Wilson High School will attend Temple University to study Biomedical Science
- Jaylyn Talbot from Reading High School will attend Bloomsburg University to study Nursing
“Reading Hospital is committed to educating future healthcare providers,” said Desha Dickson, Associate Vice President, Community Wellness at Reading Hospital. “To date, 44 students have completed the internship program and 36 have gone on to college or higher education. Of those 36 students, 34 went on to pursue healthcare related careers. They are true members of the Reading Hospital team who provided support to their colleagues, patients, and the community and I look forward to seeing the impact in the health of the communities they serve.”
The Community Wellness Department coordinates additional student engagement opportunities, known as Pathways Programs, for high school and college students. Pathways Programs include Job Shadowing and the Community Connection Program Internship. Information regarding these programs can be found on the Be Well Berks website.
