High school students graduate from Education Alliance’s summer internship program at Mon Health

Five high school interns presented their capstone presentations to Mon Health leadership to graduate from The Education Alliance’s WV Ready Summer Internships program.

The WV Ready Summer Internships program began in summer 2019 as a four-week, paid internship program created by The Education Alliance that places rising high school juniors and seniors with West Virginia businesses. Since then, the program transitioned to include in-person, hybrid and virtual internship experiences that reduced geographic barriers and allowed more students across the state to participate. This year’s Summer Internship program placed 40 interns from Cabell, Doddridge, Harrison, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Monongalia, Ohio, Putnam, Upshur and Wayne counties at seven West Virginia businesses. The initiative, funded by grants from the American Electric Power Foundation, Rural Action Inc., and Toyota West Virginia, provides internship experiences to help students become “WV Ready Graduates” equipped with knowledge and skills for success after high school. 

The WV Ready Summer Internships program at Mon Health consisted of three main components: on-site work-based learning experiences, mentoring, and capstone presentations. To strengthen career awareness, interns participated in weekly on-site work-based learning experiences and mentoring meetings with various departments in the Mon Health System. The interns explored departments from oncology and cardiology to environmental services and nutrition services to better understand the ins and outs of a functioning hospital system.

As part of their capstone presentation, the interns developed a comprehensive career path map outlining the journey from high school to various health care careers. This tool was designed to help students and aspiring professionals better understand the education, training, and experience required for different roles in the health care field. The career path map will be integrated into other workforce development initiatives, including the Explorer Cohort at Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center, to support and guide future health care talent.

“This summer, we had the privilege of hosting five high school interns at Vandalia Health-Northern Region, each with a passion for pursuing a career in health care. There’s no better way to explore your future than by stepping into the shoes of professionals living your dream,” said Guy Stewart, Workforce Development Specialist at Mon Health System. “Our interns experienced first-hand how a hospital operates and how every department works together to provide exceptional care for our patients and visitors. They learned alongside subject matter experts, gained valuable hands-on experience, and impressed us all with an outstanding capstone presentation at graduation. Watching them explore, learn and grow throughout the summer has been truly inspiring — our future in health care is bright."

To learn more about career opportunities across Mon Health System, visit MonHealth.com/Careers.