Northern Virginia students intern in healthcare industry while in high school
By Kellye Lynn
February 7, 2020
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — It’s a school day but these high school seniors are on the job at a local hospital.
“I’ve never really done anything like it and I wanted to experience something new,” said 17-year-old Haimanot Tesfaye.
The work experience comes through a partnership between Urban Alliance and Inova Health System.
“They are exposed to professional settings, they’re building professional networks, and we coach them in workforce readiness skills. So, communication, conflict resolution, building a resume, it’s all about helping them prepare for success after high school,” said Christine McCurdy of Urban Alliance.
Twenty-one area teens and 80 students across Northern Virginia participate in nine-month, paid internships that allow them to work part-time during the school year and full-time in the summer.
“They provide their areas of interest and then we do a match and we look at the opportunities we have against what they’re really excited about and then we do our best to put them there,” said Chief People Officer of Inova Health System Terry Feely
“I’m learning a lot about what happens in the background right now and I’m working in a lab so I’m learning how blood samples are processed,” said 17-year-old Sami Ouazzard.
“We all work together so we’re not just helping the patient, we’re also helping each other as a team,” said Tesfaye.
The internships started in November and end in July.