This week, ten East and West high school students along with their parents and staff members from Froedert & the Medical College of Wisconsin’s West Bend Campus at St. Joseph’s Hospital celebrated the completion of a two-week, immersive journey through various healthcare professions as part of the 2017 West Bend Healthcare Academy.

Thanks to the WBSD’s great partnership with Froedert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, the vision of Amy Maurer, Program Specialist for Community Engagement at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and Patty Noonan, teacher and West/East High School liaison for the program, the Healthcare Academy provides students with real-life, hands-on experiences and learning opportunities across multiple disciplines within the field of healthcare.

Acceptance into the Healthcare Academy begins with an application process. From there, students prepare for and participate in panel-style interview sessions with hospital staff and teachers. Of the 47 applications that were received, 20 students participated in the interviews, and ten were selected to advance through the two-week program. Every morning for 3 hours and over the course of 10 days, the students rotated departments and shadowed healthcare professionals as they tackled day-to-day operations within the healthcare system. No two days were the same.

Some experiences; such as witnessing a live C-section, assisting nurses in the birthing center, interacting with patients in the oncology department, observing both in-and-out-patient rehab programs, and witnessing life in an ICU or ER, are experiences that the students never anticipated being given the opportunity to be involved with. For many of the students, the Healthcare Academy helped bring clarity to future career paths once graduating from high school. “There is always a need for healthcare services.” said Timmy Kissel.

Congratulations to the following students for completing the West Bend 2017 Healthcare Academy: