Twelve area high school students spent three days in August shadowing health care professionals and learning about hospital operations

Press Release 9/17/18 

PERTH AMBOY – Twelve area high school students spent three days in August shadowing health care professionals and learning about hospital operations at Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center-Perth Amboy and Raritan Bay-Old Bridge.  The intensive medical learning program “Healthcare Connection” gave the students an opportunity to observe patient procedures in the hospital’s surgical suites, cardiac catheterization laboratory, physical and respiratory therapy and diagnostic imaging departments as well as view team members working in the laboratory, pharmacy, emergency department, and more.  Raritan Bay team members provided career information and resources and engaged the students in hands-on experiences, offering insight into the large number of careers available in health care.  During one of the program’s presentations, Healthcare Connection 2015 alumnus Marianne Poos, who is now a nurse and working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, discussed her career path with the students.

This is the nineteenth year the program has been offered under the direction of Susan Pasternack, manager of volunteer services at Raritan Bay.  It was designed for students entering their senior level of high school who are interested in pursuing careers in health care.  The students were selected for participation through an essay application process, and are enrolled in high schools in Perth Amboy, Carteret, East Brunswick, Edison, Old Bridge, and South Brunswick, among others.  This is the final year for the Healthcare Connection program as Raritan Bay is now partnering with the Boy Scouts of America and its similar Medical Explorer Program.

Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to advancing medical education in New Jersey.  The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, the state’s first private medical school in decades, officially opened in May.  The school recently welcomed the inaugural class of medical students in July.  Students will train in several of Hackensack Meridian Health’s 16 hospitals, which include three academic medical centers; Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, and JFK Medical Center in Edison.