BRUNSWICK, Georgia: Jan. 8, 2009 – The Southeast Georgia Health System
Brunswick Campus launched the second year of support for Medical Explorer
Post #466. “The Explorer program provides high school students with
a wonderful opportunity to explore health care careers,” says Health
System Vice President and Post Advisor, DelRia Baisden.
Baisden says the program was launched last year at the request of Health
System President and CEO Gary R. Colberg, FACHE. “Gary is the president
of the Okefenokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and he felt
this was an important program that the Health System could offer to area
young people,” says Baisden, who adds that thoracic surgeon Walter
Scott, MD, is also an advisor and committee chairperson for the Post.
“Participating in the program gives them a chance to work with positive
adult role models and the opportunity to take on leadership roles in a
supportive and fun environment.”
This current session will continue through May 2009. At present, 25 local
high school students meet each third Thursday of the month in the Linda
S. Pinson Conference Center on the Brunswick Campus. However, they can
join the Post at any time, says Adam Brown, manager of Service Excellence
and associate post advisor.
“Following a brief business meeting they conduct themselves, the
group explores a department in the Health System,” Brown says. “Some
areas we will walk through this year are Facilities, Information Systems,
the Emergency Care Center, Laboratory Services, our Pathology Museum,
and different nursing areas around the hospital. This exposes them to
a variety of health care fields and gives them hands-on experience. We
also share with them the education they need for certain health care jobs
and pay ranges for those jobs.”
Baisden says this experience is invaluable for young people who might be
considering a career in a medical field. “Last year, our Explorers
were able to simulate a surgery and a trauma situation in the Emergency
Care Center,” she says. “They also learned how to monitor
blood glucose levels and blood pressure and visited our Outpatient Rehabilitation
Services and Wound Care Center.” According to Scott, the program
doesn’t just cover the health care careers everyone knows about,
such as becoming a physician or nurse. “Explorers are exposed to
many jobs in healthcare that they wouldn’t know about otherwise,”
Scott says. “It is an eye-opening experience for them and gives
them experience and information they will need in preparing for a possible
future in healthcare.”
To find out more about the Explores program, please call 912-466-1188 or
visit www.sghs.com.