三个奈舒巴中心的学生 working as interns at hospital

Project SEARCH intern Mckenzie 街 wants to work in a pediatrics clinic when she completes the program.

An ongoing internship at 亚博电竞官网官网中心 County 一般 Hospital sparked her interest, 通过独特, 主导的, transition-to-work program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The nation-wide Project SEARCH program comes under the umbrella of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation 服务.

It facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career explorations and hands-on training through worksite rotations.

艾比巴特勒, Jacob Clayton and 街 are the first 亚博电竞官网官网中心 Central students to participate in the program, 在放射学等领域工作的, 医院的采购和饮食. Medical records and environmental services may be added in the future.

Interns spend the first hour of each day on curriculum, which is taught in a training room at the hospital.

乔什·伯顿, 奈莎巴的搜索计划指导员, 说 the interns work three 10-week rotations in various areas from August to May.

They are trained to do a variety of tasks in each field, 从放毛巾开始, 亚麻布及长袍, 清洁和消毒机器.

他们负责运送病人, deliver packages and supplies and put together disposable silverware packages for the cafeteria.

街, who also works part time at a 费城 restaurant, 喜欢放射科, hence her interest in a pediatrics setting.

She likes to check patients in on a computer when they arrive in the radiology waiting room, 在门诊之前.

“Mckenzie doesn’t want to work in the food industry after she finishes school,” Burton 说. “I told her, ‘If you work hard, you never know what will happen.“她努力工作，让我们保持正直. 如果我们搞砸了，她会告诉我们!”

布五分镍币, coordinator for Project SEARCH for the Mississippi Department for Rehabilitation 服务, and Burton 说 the goal was for the interns to gain many transferable skills that would qualify them for a job not only in a hospital setting, but also in business and industry settings.

实习生执行任务, which free medical professionals to spend more quality time with their patients, 他们说.

Nickles 说 the interns hone in on their time management skills as well.

“这是巨大的，”她说.

During the last few months of the program, 重点在于提高技能, achieving the career goal and carrying out individualized job development.

到节目结束的时候, interns will have completed their resume and portfolio and, 希望, 做好进入职场的准备.

The program is looking for areas businesses who are interested in either hosting Project SEARCH interns or hiring Project SEARCH graduates.

欲了解更多信息，请联系伯顿 jburton@neshobacentral.com.

亚博电竞官网官网中心一般 Hospital is excited about the partnership with Project SEARCH and 亚博电竞官网官网中心 Central, 李考尔, 首席执行官, 说.

“We look forward to working with these students to help them develop competitive skills for future employment opportunities,他说.

安妮特•沃特金斯, marketing and public relations director at 亚博电竞官网官网中心一般, 说 officials hoped to get the internships under way in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic caused a year’s delay.

“It is very fulfilling for us at the hospital to watch these young adults come in and gain life skills that they can take with them forever,沃特金斯说.

An open house is planned later this month for the interns to meet-and-greet invited guests from the hospital, school and community as well as their family members.

While the interns are not guaranteed jobs under the program, the focus is to ensure that they gain employable skills to utilize after high school.

亚博电竞官网官网中心 Central hopes to expand Project SEARCH to six interns in the future, depending on the number of opportunities available.

贝丝鲍曼, job skills trainer for Project SEARCH 说 the program “provides two things for students with disabilities that they may have not ever had -- the dignity and respect that comes from being an employee and a worker. For the first time, they are part of a team with clear objectives, goals and direction.”

Project SEARCH serves young people with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are typically on an Individual Education Program and in their last year of high school eligibility.