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On Wednesday, May 23, Northern Westchester Hospital and its staff will host its first annual Medical Career Day to expose high school students to the wide range of opportunities available in both clinical and non-clinical healthcare practices.
The goal is for students to understand the value and growing number of careers in the field in the New York region and beyond. "Westchester County is not unique to national trends in healthcare," said Grace O’Shaughnessy, the program's director. "One of the largest industries in Westchester County remains health services and continues to grow with increases in access to care. Medical careers continue to be an excellent place for new graduates to find entry level jobs and build a career."
Current care providers often first gain exposure to careers in healthcare at a young age, something the NWH team is looking to share with the next generation of medical professionals. "I was inspired to become a registered dietitian at Northern Westchester Hospital during my senior year of high school," said Amy Rosenfeld, a current dietician and co-organizer of the event. "I was passionate about health and contacted the Food and Nutrition office to do my senior experience internship with them. By interning for the Director of Food and Nutrition at the time, I learned how vital nutrition is for the prevention and treatment of disease."
"I started my career working in the field of mental health as a social worker in New York City," said O’Shaughnessy. "I witnessed first-hand the fundamental importance of high quality healthcare as a mechanism for creating healthy communities."
As part of the day’s schedule, students will attend two workshops as well as hear from a panel of guest speakers. The day will highlight a variety of careers in healthcare, including music therapy, holistic nursing, infection control, perinatal medicine, genetic counseling, healthcare marketing and more.
"Many students do not realize that the world of healthcare has many opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical alike," said Rosenfeld. "Through NWH's Medical Career Day program, I hope we inspire our local high school students just as I was."
To learn more or to register, email Amy Rosenfeld at arosenfeld2@northwell.edu.
