Samantha A. Bernardine, MSMy Health Career Program Manager

National AHEC OrganizationAnnual Conference

June 23rd, 2010

Connecting students to careers, professional to communities,

and communities to better health

This seminar is designed to provide you with new approaches to engaging and

motivating students to explore, identify and

develop career plans in health care using the

MSI AHEC’s My Health Career Club Model 

CLUB

The MyHealthCareer ® program was originally created in 2002 by the New York Northern Area Health Educational Center (NAHEC), as a web-based program.

Over the last several years this program has experienced numerous revisions and upgrades.

Currently, five NYS AHECs have purchase licensing agreements MyHealthCareer.org® : Western New York Rural Hudson Mohawk Central New York Erie/Niagara Manhattan- Staten Island

The My Health Career program can be used in part, or in whole, to integrate with existing programs, or start a new program for your center.

The program is a user-friendly website with a database that allows you to collect and customize data in a variety of value sets in real time.

In 2009, the My Health Career Summer Club was developed and piloted to 28 students, who were not accepted into our SHIP Program.

DISCOVER

CONNECT

TAKE ACTION

After the 2-weeks, the goal is to have students

Explore your interests and ambitions

Gain insight into possible career goals

Develop skills in becoming leaders of tomorrow.

Obtain professional guidance and valuable contacts.

Learn about Enhanced College Level and Technical Training Programs in New York.

Gain a competitive edge for college

Gain knowledge about the health disparities in underrepresented and underserved neighborhoods.

Earn 40 hours of community service.

All program activities focused on basic skills development, to include reading, writing and social communication and interpersonal relationship-building using three interrelated modules: ◦ Self-Awareness◦ Career Exploration◦ Community Service

This module helps students develop a greater awareness and appreciation of themselves in relationship to others, school, and the world of work.◦ Self Discovery Exercises◦ Academic Goal Setting (high school years and

beyond) ◦ Resume Development

Through the website’s numerous, user-friendly interfaces, students will explore and develop personal attitudes, aptitudes, and interests in health careers.

The Interest Profiler has a series of questions about work activities that some people do on their jobs. Students decide whether or not you would like to do the work activity. We stress that THIS IS NOT A TEST.

The scores below are a summary of their interests. These results should be considered a guide for your career exploration, not a definitive statement of which occupations students should or should not pursue.

The Work Importance Profiler is another important step in creating a better fit between students and a potential career.

The work values are a summary of your Work Importance Profiler responses.

Create a journal entry on MHC website entitled “Goals.” Review your goal setting handouts and answer today’s essential questions:

What did I learn about myself?What are my Career Plans/goals?If anything, what is blocking me from achieving my

goals? What are they? What do I need help with to get on the right path to achieving my goals?

** You can write as much as you want in your journals.

Students’ health careers interests and exploration will be augmented by field trips to colleges/universities, and a local health care facility.  

Sophie Davis Gross Anatomy Lab at City College

…a substantial number of minorities residing in New York “bear a disproportionate burden of illness and premature death” regardless to the “progress made in reducing health disparities.”

Students are guided through different information sources (media reports and articles, scholarly journals and documentaries) covering related and relevant data.

Students will team up in groups of two or more and select a health issue affecting high risk communities.

Each team is required to prepare and submit a research paper and a power point presentation detailing the social implications of a chosen health disparity but most importantly outlining their strategies for addressing it.

This is about students taking ownership of their communities.

The Diabeater Coalition was developed by one group of students to promote both healthy and happy lifestyles their within communities, through several programs:◦ The Kids Camps◦ Breakfast Program Campaign Sponsorship with

General Mills Cereal Company◦ The Diabeater City Walk

In this short period of time, I have learned a lot more about the health care system and all it has to offer. Being in this program allows me to figure out what health care professional I truly want to be. My opinions have changed...My Health Career Summer Club is a program that gives me an inside look on health career occupations and it allows me to further my research on the medical field. Crystal Fraser, Senior at Curtis High School

I really enjoyed MSI AHEC, where I had the opportunity to explore all options in the field of health care. I came into this program thinking I’m going to be a pediatrician but after a very extensive 5 days I found myself exploring other fields of medicine. I think this is a great program and I hope this continues on for many more years to come. Aeisha Colombage, Senior at Curtis High School

The goal is to prepare 90 low-income, minority public school students, with a focus on high school freshmen and sophomores

MHC Saturday Club is offered in three sessions (Fall, Winter and Spring)

Currently MHCC is in three high schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn

CLUB

Publications: Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared For College

& Work (Peter D. Hart Research Associates & Public Opinion Strategies for Achieve, Inc., 2005)

A Developmental Perspective for High School Practitioners on College and Workplace Readiness (Lippman, L. & Whitney, C., 2009)

Promoting Health Equity- A Resource to Help Communities Address Social Determinants of Health (CDC, 2008)

REACHing Across The Divide- Finding Solutions to Health Disparities (CDC, 2007)

Quality Care For All People-2005 Summary (The Commission to End Health Care Disparities)

The PACT- Three Young Men Make A Promise And Fulfill A Dream Movie/Television Clips: Voices for Health Equality (Bronx Health Reach, 2005) Sicko (Michael Moore, 2007) CNN Black in America 2 (2009) CNN Latinos in America RX for Survival- A Global Health Challenge (2005 WGBH Educational

Foundation) NBC Obesity in America (2010)

Questions/Comments

For more information about My Health Career ProgramsSamantha A. Bernardine,

Program ManagerManhattan Staten Island AHEC

43 Central Park North New York, NY 10026

212-543-2432sbernardine@institute2000.org