In the wake of the pandemic,”¯the country faces a shortage in health-care jobs across the board. The situation is particularly acute among doctors and nurses. According to the Association of Medical Colleges, the country must confront a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, including 48,000 primary-care physicians.
”¯Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) in Mount Kisco, part of Northwell Health, is working to solve that problem. To meet the demand, NWH has launched a variety of “health-care pipeline development and workforce readiness” programs with 100-plus high school and college students enrolled. Students shadow health-care workers in a variety of clinical and non-patient roles, learning about the importance of and receiving training in person-centered care.
One former student from Fox Lane High School in Bedford who benefited from the program and now works at Northern Westchester Hospital is Sophie Peterfreund, a nurse in the Mary & David Boies Emergency Department. She was a member of NWH”™s program, volunteered at the hospital during college breaks, became a patient care associate and an emergency medical technician. After finishing nursing school, Peterfreund was selected to participate in Northwell Health”™s Nursing Fellowship graduate program and placed at Northern Westchester Hospital. After completing this program, she was offered a position as a registered nurse in the emergency department.
”¯This spring and summer, NWH will be hosting a variety of student programs, including the Senior High School Experience, for which 12 students are competitively selected from six area high schools. The program provides students with firsthand real-world experience in the field of health care. This summer NWH will also be piloting a Premed Shadowing Experience program for college students, working to rotate students through various physician specialties. ”¯”¯
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