Medical Apprentice Program a Boon to Hospitals, Students, and the Community
by Colleen Sweeney
In 2007, I developed the Medical Apprentice Program (MAP) for high school students in my community who were interested in medical careers but wanted on-site guidance and exposure—to caregivers, to patients, and to like-minded peers—before choosing a college major.
Back in my day, unless you had volunteered or worked as a paramedic, you probably chose a health career based on family history. But you likely had no firsthand knowledge and probably never saw care in action. So many young people enter med school and leave thinking, “This is not for me.” One of my main goals with MAP was to make sure that the participants knew that a career in health care was right for them.
The hospital where I worked already had a junior volunteer program in place, but it often ran after business hours, leaving many students to their own devices and without mindful supervision. When I heard that some students had held a nighttime race using golf carts intended for immobile patients, I knew that a program overhaul was in order!
We thought we were giving students an opportunity to gain knowledge of health care specialties and planting the seeds of a life devoted to patient-centered care, but they lacked direction.
While the nuts and bolts were there—talented, dedicated caregivers who could provide insight, as well as patients who would appreciate attention from energetic, ambitious young people—we needed structure. I decided to outline a week-long, tuition-based program centered around the idea of apprenticeship.