Seated left to right: Gage Bennett, Caelyn Zeno, Summer Tucker, Katherine Tinkler
Standing left to right: Grace Bartel, Tommy Tran, Kaylee Landry, Raegan Douglas, Layla Myles, Hallie Mayfield, Adrienne Alexis
Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center (CLAHEC) collaborated with Lane Regional Medical Center to bring the “AHEC of a Summer” volunteer program to high school students in the area. The program is an excellent tool by which students can explore different health care professions and make decisions about their future based on experience and observation. Students are volunteering their time for fifteen days in the summer at Lane Regional Medical Center.
“AHEC of a Summer” applicants are high school students who have a career interest in the medical profession. The program provides the students with the opportunity to participate in health related volunteer work and the freedom to explore career interests in the various fields that comprise the world of health careers. The students are rotating through various departments at the hospital to gain hands-on experiences so they can determine for themselves whether or not a health career is a good choice for their future. They are able to obtain knowledge and experience from healthcare professional mentors, field trips, workshops, and guest lecturers. The program supervisor at Lane Regional Medical Center is Allyson Bennett, RN, and the program educator is Kelly Haynes, of Baker High School.
The 2017 program participants are Adrienne Alexis, Zachary High School; Grace Bartel, Central High School; Gage Bennett, Zachary High School; Raegan Douglas, Zachary High School; Kaylee Landry, Central High School; Hallie Mayfield, Zachary High School; Layla Myles, Baker High School; Katherine Tinkler, Silliman Institute; Tommy Tran, Zachary High School; Summer Tucker, Zachary High School and Caelyn Zeno, Zachary High School. Students are chosen on the basis of grades, a written essay, and an interview. “AHEC of a Summer” is an accredited high school course for one-half unit elective credit.
CLAHEC is a non-profit, community-based agency that serves as a training and information resource for health and education professionals for a 17-parish region. A primary goal of CLAHEC is to identify local needs and develop programs that will encourage healthcare professionals to practice in rural and underserved communities where their services are urgently needed. Karen McCord, program coordinator, states that “AHEC of a Summer is an essential tool for students to discover if a career in the medical field is right for them.”
