Gain practical and professional experience in health care – Monterey Herald

Born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula, Jessica Esperza was the youngest of four in a bilingual family. Her mother, who immigrated to the United States from her native Mexico, always encouraged her children to excel, to look forward, to create a better future for themselves and their future families.

Esparza heard her mother’s message and expanded it to want to create a better future for others. Aspiring to become a registered nurse, she graduated from CSSU Monterey Bay in May with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in biology.

“I have a sister-in-law whose sibling graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s program in nursing. I want to become a family nurse practitioner, so I started looking at three schools in the San Francisco area where I could attend the same level of education.

What Esperza and many others have discovered is that landing a position in an advanced education program or an entry-level position in the health and medical field is not easy, without real experience. So, she enrolled in COPE Health Solution’s Health Scholars Program in partnership with Salinas Valley Memorial Health Care System to gain wisdom, insight and hands-on experience in the health care setting, building her knowledge and career.

“First and foremost, we want young scholars and motivated professionals of all backgrounds to succeed,” said SMMHS President/CEO Pete Delgado. “Secondly, we are creating a pipeline of future healthcare workers who are passionate about serving our community because of the nationwide shortage of healthcare professionals.”

The intensive, structured program begins with 30 hours of skills training, offered in three tracks of three-, six-, and nine-month programs based on the commitment health professionals can manage. , and moving patients and helping patients drain. After that, 250 or more hours are invested in hospital experience under the direction of licensed clinical staff. Fees range from $250-$600 with limited funding available.

“This is really one of those win-win programs,” said oncology nurse Erlinda “Lynn” Rodriguez, who works with the researchers. “Our team enjoys mentoring scholars and encouraging the next generation of health care professionals. The health scholars gain valuable experience in a nationally recognized hospital setting and, perhaps most importantly, our patients enjoy the interaction and bedside manner of these enthusiastic trainees.”

The Health Scholars Program, an equity and inclusion education program, supports the aspirations of a diverse population of future health care professionals by providing mentors in specific health care areas. This program gives them mentor and patient interaction in a clinical setting that allows them to take their knowledge and experience and build a career out of it.

“We love people like Jessica who grew up in our community and reflect the diversity of our community,” said Karina Rusk, director of public relations and system communications. “We not only appreciate her interest and involvement in the program; we hope she will return to serve the community where she grew up and become a permanent member of our team. The COPE Health Scholars Program is an investment in her future and our future as an organization.”

Participating in the program, Esparza, who sat in the oncology department, learned about policies and procedures, the operation of technical equipment, the importance of the bedside, and the many clinical procedures that nurses invited her to witness.

“I took a lot of notes, and tried hard to retain as much as possible from this experience. What’s important to me is helping patients feel safe and comfortable and not alone. I have noticed this in the hospital, especially with Spanish speaking patients, it is a language problem. I speak Spanish and English, so I can help patients feel heard and understood.

While it took more than a year to develop the Health Scholars program as SVMHS’ newest program to introduce students to health care careers, the first group of students began winter track and will soon complete their three-month fall track.

“I feel that students who are planning to go into health care or who are interested in going into the medical field will benefit a lot from the health scholar program,” Esperza said. “We got a lot of hands-on experience that most schools and health care or medical facilities require. I know this program will help make my work experience stand out while preparing me for success.”

For more information about the Health Scholars Program, visit svmh.com/healthscholars.