Most Likely to Succeed

When I was really young, I wanted to be a teacher. Then, I wanted to be a psychiatrist. Now, I want to be an R.N.

This is Michael

He was one of the patients on 7A, where I’ve been doing an internship since last December. I don’t provide hands-on patient care, but I can give patients like Michael water or tissues. I also talk with patients if they don’t have any family visiting. Mostly, patients like to talk about their lives and their accomplishments.

I always hoped to be someone special. But during ninth grade, I lost my focus. My mom was really sick and couldn’t work anymore. I bounced around a lot, living with my mom, my dad and my grandmother. (Now I live with my dad.) My personal life definitely affected my school work. I couldn’t focus on the future.

But then my guidance counselor recommended I go to Communities in Schools. It’s so different from public school. The classes are smaller. The teachers let me talk about stuff going on at home and give me advice. And I got to participate in the Health Care Career Exploration Program and get a job at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

This program has changed everything for me. It’s been a stepping stone in my life. I never thought about what I was going to do after high school or how I’d get there. But now I’m growing up, and I know how important it is to have a career I’ll enjoy for the rest of my life.

Me. . . in health care?

I never thought so until I got involved with the Health Care Career Exploration Program. During the first semester, I shadowed hospital workers in different areas for two weeks at a time. My favorite was NICU, but it was very emotional. It’s hard to see premature babies the size of your hand. One day one of the babies stopped breathing, and I felt this pain inside my heart. I kept thinking, “That’s someone’s baby.”

Shadowing Karen

Karen Palladino, R.N., is my mentor on 7A. Here, she shows me how to draw blood on one of our patients, Ray. She explains the steps: putting on gloves, using a tourniquet, cleansing the area, etc., so I understand what’s involved.

Karen also shows me how to use medication bar-coding. This technology helps us make sure the right patient is getting the right amount of the right medicine at the right time. She also asks the patient’s name and birth date to double check for safety.

She makes this possible

Nereida Villanueva is the main reason I discovered what I want to do. She is a career consultant at the hospital who meets with me every month to explain new opportunities. If it weren’t for her, I would never have thought about becoming a nurse.

Get well soon!

Part of my job is writing get-well cards to patients who have been discharged. I like making people happy.

by Davina Eck
Junior, Communities in Schools
Health Care Career Exploration Program Graduate

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