Volunteers In The News

PHOTO CAPTION:
Front, l – r: Racheal Harold, Julia Shaw, Samantha Boyer, Shaina Nelson
Rear, l – r: Daisy Letendre, Alexandra Griswold, Emma Lucier, Alicia MacNabb

BFMC Student Ambassadors ‘Go for the Gold’

"You don’t know necessarily where your life is going to take you," said Chuck Gijanto, president, Baystate Franklin Medical Center, during a recent luncheon with BFMC’s eight Student Ambassadors. "When opportunities arise, take a chance and try them. Go for the gold!"

Eight young women from six local schools did just that when they took the opportunity to participate in Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s Student Ambassador Program. Now in its third year, the Student Ambassador program is designed as a career exploration option for high school students. During the seven-week program, which concluded with graduation on August 21, each student rotated through two departments – choosing from Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, Laboratory, the inpatient nursing units, Food Services, Pharmacy, Orthopedic Surgery, and Cardiopulmonary. Students shadowed physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, dieticians, and more, learning about a variety of careers in health care, and about how the jobs and departments within the hospital connect to each other. Student ambassadors also attended special career exploration events during which they had the chance to talk with a number of different professionals about their respective health career paths; all eight students also had the opportunity to observe surgeries.

Northfield Mount Hermon student, Daisy Letendre, spent her first rotation in Dietary and her second in Cardiopulmonary. When she was two years old, Letendre underwent heart surgery to correct a congenital heart condition. "I guess it’s not a big deal, but I have a huge scar as a reminder," she noted. "Because this is part of who I am, I have always been interested in the heart, how it works, and what can go wrong with it."

Last spring, Letendre attended a "Blood and Guts" career introduction program for high school students. She learned about the Student Ambassador program, applied and was accepted. "I worked with Lois Levin, a dietician, for my first rotation. It was interesting, especially because of the close relationship between diet and the heart. But it didn’t grab me. Then I went to Cardiopulmonary, and learned about all the career opportunities in that area. I became more and more interested in pursuing something in that field, though I wasn’t sure what."

After watching a surgery at BFMC, Letendre asked Pam Barber, volunteer coordinator and overseer of the Student Ambassador program, if she could watch an interventional heartprocedure. Barber asked Nitin Bhatnagar, MD, a cardiologist at BFMC and Baystate Medical Center, if it was possible. He replied, “I don’t see why not.”

Dr. Bhatnager’s office made all the arrangements, and Letendre went to Baystate Medical Center to observe three procedures. As she watched and listened, she knew she was hooked. “The physicians and staff were so energized, and were obviously having fun as they discussed theories, helped each other, and worked closely as a team. I want that. I want to be a heart specialist.”

Alicia MacNabb, also from Northfield Mount Hermon, spent a rotation in rehabilitation, learning about occupational and physical therapy. “The field of rehabilitation is so much more than I imagined,” she said. “I definitely can see myself in these people’s shoes.”

Recounting a conversation she had with her older brother, who is presently in a pre-med program, McNabb said, “I was telling him how exciting it was for us to go in and watch a surgery. He was astounded and envious! He said, ‘Here I am taking all these physics and anatomy courses to prepare for medical school, and I’ve never even seen a surgery. You’re so lucky to be in this program!’”

The Student Ambassadors all realize how lucky they were to have been selected, for as MacNabb commented, “My brother might go through this whole pre-med program, get to medical school, and decide it isn’t for him. We’ve had firsthand experience here, and it definitely has helped us in our college planning.”

For Barber, one of the greatest rewards of the program is watching the students grow as individuals. “By the end of the program, many of them have made important discoveries about their own goals and dreams,” she noted.

A case in point is Khayriyyah Munir, of South Deerfield, who attended the first Student Ambassador program in 2006. She is now a biomedical engineering major at the University of Connecticut, a track that will take her on to medical school. During her summer at BFMC, she volunteered in Cardiopulmonary and the Pharmacy. “I learned a lot about myself that summer – things that are influencing my decision as to what kind of medicine I want to pursue,” she recalled. “I realized that a field like Emergency Medicine, with its constant changes, and requiring lots of personal communication with many patients, suits my personality style nicely.”

The summer held different highlights for each student. “I actually got to analyze my own blood,” said Julia Shaw, from Mohawk Trail Regional High School, who spent a rotation in the BFMC Laboratory. “The phlebotomist drew four vials of blood, and we took them to the blood bank, hematology and chemistry. We looked at my blood under the microscope; and we ran tests to determine my cholesterol count.” Shaw was relieved to report that everything looked fine.

Elaine Chichester, a BFMC volunteer, served as the supervisor of the Student Ambassador program this summer, while Gary Howe, from The Career Center in Greenfield, assisted by training mentors and meeting with the students regularly to discuss career options. “Elaine and Gary spent countless hours scheduling, lining up mentors, interviewing students, running orientation, visiting students in the departments, and planning the special events, including graduation,” said Barber. “We are so proud of this program at Baystate Franklin, and the future of health care will indeed be bright when these intelligent, inquisitive and mature young people arrive on the scene. I only hope some of them will eventually join us here on staff at BFMC!”

Graduates of the 2008 Student Ambassador Program include Samantha Boyer, Mahar Regional High School; Daisy Letendre and Alicia MacNabb, Northfield Mount Hermon; Racheal Harold, Greenfield High School; Shaina Nelson, Pioneer Valley Regional School; Alexandra Griswold and Emma Lucier, Frontier Regional High School; and Julia Shaw, Mohawk Trail Regional High School.

For more information about Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s Student Ambassador program, or volunteering at BFMC, contact Pam Barber, Volunteer Services coordinator, at 413-773-2318.

Yverose Jean Pierre-Enterprise

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