Career connections class brings students on-the-job experiences

Three high schoolers took turns giving 20 minute presentations, with poise and confidence, in front of a conference room full of executives and managers at Cascade Medical Center (CMC) in Leavenworth.
The presentations were the final component of their Career Connections class, offered for Cascade High School juniors and seniors, to learn professional skills via classroom work (including résumé writing and mock interviews) and job shadowing/internships with local business partners.
Makena Ala’ilima-Daley, Madeline Schiefelbein and Natalie Robles shared their experiences rotating through several departments at CMC and some of the practical skills and general career insights they learned.
Ala’ilima-Daley, a senior, said, “I learned how the different departments work together to give the best possible care to their patients.” Practical experience included taking off scrubs without contamination and seeing an EKG test run. “In the ER I got to have my arm splinted and also practice suturing on my own shoe.”
She learned a lot from the dietician, understanding the many aspects of that job, including menu planning for inpatients on solid food and those with tube feeds, and outpatient menu recommendations.
Ala’ilima-Daley said, “I found working with patients in the Acute Care department the most enjoyable because I got to speak with them one on one and hear their stories.”
Schiefelbein, a junior, already had a strong interest in nursing, but also became excited about pharmacy from her rotation with the pharmacist. She felt squeamish about encountering blood in the ER, but realized, “It’s a small percentage of what happens there day to day. The nurses said by the time you’re out of nursing school, you’re used to being around it.”
Each student interviewed a staff member, and Schiefelbein interviewed RN Deanna Griggs, who said the expectations for today’s nurses include efficiency, mindfulness of resources and also advocating to the patients about healthy living.
Schiefelbein enjoyed getting to ride along on a paramedic call to see how rapidly the team responds to medical emergencies.
In the lab, samples of blood and urine are spun to separate the components. Students had a chance to see the different types of blood cells under a microscope and grow bacteria on petri dishes. Robles, who enjoyed the hands-on science, said, “In the lab I could apply my AP Biology knowledge.”
“This experience was about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable,” said Robles, referring to the Career Connections class motto. “I had to get used to talking to professionals every day.”
The Career Connections class began in 2015 at Cascade High School, and is co-taught by Kirk Sunitsch, Tech Director, and Katie Schmitten, Career Counselor. Ten students each semester can take the class. “Eligibility requirements include a minimum grade point average of 2.5, a prior interest and aptitude in the specific career pathway that will be explored while in class, and the student must possess the ability to present him/herself professionally,” explained Schmitten.
Before working with a local business, each student must go through an interview. “This helps the business screen our students to be able to see if that student will be a good fit for their business, and it gives the student the realistic life-lesson of interviewing, as none of our placements are guaranteed,” said Schmitten.
Other business partners have welcomed student interns in the fields of elementary education, law, graphic design, engineering, construction, physical therapy, environmental science, automotive repair and more. With each business, Sunitsch and Schmitten build relationships with key contacts.
“Amy Webb, the Chief Operating Officer at Cascade Medical Center, is always my point of contact at the hospital in regards to getting our students’ interviews set up, their required vaccinations, and their internship schedules,” said Schmitten.
All three students ended their presentations saying they will likely pursue medical careers. “This experience helped me understand what my days will look like if I choose to go into the medical field,” said Ala’ilima-Daley. “It also made me more confident that I was on the right path to be successful in the future.”
Robles, interested in nursing, now understood the wide range of nursing paths that exist. “The possibilities are endless,” she said.
With the increasing costs of college, students try to find the best college track right away. “Many programs within colleges want you to start as soon as you get there,” explained Schiefelbein. “If you don’t know that you want to be a nurse until your sophomore year in college, and they wanted you to start the program as a freshman, then you are a year behind!”
Fortunately, the Career Connections class, with applied real-life learning in business settings, will continue to help students be a step ahead.