Students who are interested in potential medical careers had a chance to get an up-close look at them during the B.E.S.T. Academy Camp Program at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
The camp, which concluded on June 26, gave 20 students a chance to work side-by-side with experienced health care professionals to see for themselves if the world of medicine is right for them.
The students were selected through a competitive process, said Greg Mathis, of Pasco County Schools, the program coordinator for the B.E.S.T. program in Zephyrhills.
“The program is new here in Pasco County. It’s been in Hillsborough County for 10 years,” Mathis said.
Dr. Dexter Frederick initiated the program at Florida Hospital Tampa because of a desire to give kids a chance to enter the arena of medicine to see that it’s a dream they could make come true for themselves, Mathis said.
It was expanded to Florida Hospital Zephyrhills this year, after Camille Watkins, assistant principal at Zephyrhills High School, inquired into the possibility of bringing the program to Pasco County students.
Watkins’ twin sons, Abera and Addelove, both attended the Florida Hospital Tampa program last year, Mathis said.
Both said they benefited from the experience they had in the B.E.S.T. Academy Program at Florida Hospital Tampa last year. And, they helped with the program at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills this year.
Abera Watkins said he wants to specialize in pediatrics, while his twin brother, Addelove, wants to specialize in cardiology.
Both of them said they are willing to do the work and take on the debt to make those dreams a reality.
Early exposure to potential health care career options is critical, Mathis said.
“Kids may never even think about medicine, because mom and dad didn’t go to college,” Mathis said.
But, he added, if they become aware of options they want to explore, they can be sure to take the proper classes to enable them to lay the groundwork for those careers.
The Zephyrhills program accepted freshmen through seniors, who were selected through a process that considered a variety of factors, including their academic record and interviews with them and their parents, Mathis said.
Students taking part in the Pasco program came from Zephyrhills, Pasco and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.
Joan Conrad, director of patient experience at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, coordinated the hospital’s participation.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Conrad said. It can help give kids a road map to pursuing their dreams, she said, noting some kids know they want something, but have no idea how to pursue it.
By observing and talking to people who work in the field, students get a real feel for possible careers in health care, Conrad said. In some cases, they may find out that a field they thought they wanted to pursue isn’t exactly what they had pictured. In other cases, they may be exposed to a career that they find captivating.
Mathis, who is a teacher for Pasco County Schools, is delighted with Florida Hospital’s support of the program.
“I can’t say enough about Florida Hospital, and what they’re doing. I am thrilled, overwhelmed,” Mathis said.
Activities in the program included hospital rotations, classroom instruction, guest speakers and workshops on health careers and health issues.
“The good thing is that now we have a lot of kids who say, ‘This is possible.’ ” Mathis said.
“It’s a lot of hard work. That’s been stressed. Don’t think that anything you feel is worthwhile in life is going to be easy,” Mathis said. “We’re not only preaching medicine, medicine, medicine. We’re preaching professionalism, courtesy, hard work.
“It’s hands-on. That’s the beautiful part of it,” Mathis said.
The students are exposed to different health careers and different options, to see which one best fits them.
“Like today, we have kids in the OR (operating room), OB (obstetrics), ICU (intensive care unit), post-cardiac care, dietary. They’re everywhere,” Mathis said.
Jenny Craig, will be a sophomore at Pasco High, was enjoying the experience.
“I’ve always been interested in medicine. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get some experience in OB (obstetrics), as well as the other departments.
“Today, I was on a PT (physical therapy) rotation. I thought it was really cool,” she said.
TeNiiyah Gore, will be a junior at Zephyrhills High School, said the experience is beneficial for students.
“I think it gives us a chance to discover what we want to be. It helps us to see what it’s like to be in the medical field and whether you want to be here or not,” Gore said.
Alexayra Classen, who will be a senior at Pasco High School, said she’s leaning toward a career in neonatal nursing.”
She enjoyed observing the way things work in the hospital’s operating room.
“It’s really fast. No one bumps into each other. That was interesting, how they all kind of work around each other,” Classen said.
Emily Daffron, who will be a senior at Zephyrhills High School, knows that her future holds a career in the health care arena.
“I’m really dead set on pursuing a medical career. I don’t have any other backup plans,” Daffron said. “I really want to be a nurse. I want to interact with patients and I want to have an impact on their lives.”
In addition to gaining from the experience, the students got scrubs with the B.E.S.T. logo on them, and also a medical starter kit.
The starter kit contains thermometers, litmus testers, gloves, a stethoscope and other medical equipment.
The two-week B.E.S.T. program began on June 15 and concluded with a graduation ceremony on June 26.
B.E.S.T. Academy participants
These students took part in the inaugural B.E.S.T. Academy program at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills: Lyndsey Lee, Alexayra Classen, TeNiiyah Gore, Eve Faison, Sandra Garcia, Janessa Barbar, Jamiqua Mutcherson, Keith Brockington, Nora Ripley, Alec Troidl, Jamie Howard, Tabria James, John First, Bailey Douberley, Kiaria Singleton, Dahian Iozada, Jenny Craig, Maycalla Hicks, Emily Daffron and Christy Saji.
Published July 8, 2015
