High School Students Learn About Medicine at Raritan Bay Medical Center

Twelve area high school students spent three days in August shadowing health care professionals and learning about hospital operations

Twelve area high school students spent three days in August shadowing health care professionals and learning about hospital operations at Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center-Perth Amboy and Raritan Bay-Old Bridge. The intensive medical learning program “Healthcare Connection” gave the students an opportunity to observe patient procedures in the hospital’s surgical suites, cardiac catheterization laboratory, physical and respiratory therapy and diagnostic imaging departments as well as view team members working in the laboratory, pharmacy, emergency department, and more. Raritan Bay team members provided career information and resources and engaged the students in hands-on experiences, offering insight into the large number of careers available in health care. During one of the program’s presentations, Healthcare Connection 2015 alumnus Marianne Poos, who is now a nurse and working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, discussed her career path with the students.

From left is Healthcare Connection alumnus Marianne Poos, Justin Acheompong from Spotswood High School, Deep Patel from Monroe Twp. High School, Kunal Vani from Sayreville High School, Christian Jimenez from Middlesex County Vocational & Technical School, Vanessa Tkacikova from Old Bridge High School, Raritan Bay Chief Operating Officer Thomas Shanahan, CPA, Jailah Harris from Carteret High School, Christina Shaker from East Brunswick High School, Kashish Chawla from East Brunswick High School, Radhika Kayastha from JP Stevens High School, Nikita Sanjiv from South Brunswick High School, Karen Wang from South Brunswick High School, Stephany Bolonos from Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences, and hospital volunteer Marcella Massopust.This is the nineteenth year the program has been offered under the direction of Susan Pasternack, manager of volunteer services at Raritan Bay. It was designed for students entering their senior level of high school who are interested in pursuing careers in health care. The students were selected for participation through an essay application process, and are enrolled in high schools in Perth Amboy, Carteret, East Brunswick, Edison, Old Bridge, and South Brunswick, among others. This is the final year for the Healthcare Connection program as Raritan Bay is now partnering with the Boy Scouts of America and its similar Medical Explorer Program.

Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to advancing medical education in New Jersey. The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, the state’s first private medical school in decades, officially opened in May.  The school recently welcomed the inaugural class of medical students in July. Students will train in several of Hackensack Meridian Health’s 16 hospitals, which include three academic medical centers; Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, and JFK Medical Center in Edison.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 450 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network’s notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” one of the “20 Best Workplaces in Health Care” in the nation, and the number one “Best Place to Work for Women.” The network was also named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2018” list.

Hackensack Meridian Health partnered with Seton Hall University to launch the first private medical school in New Jersey – Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University - in more than 50 years to address a growing shortage of physicians and dramatic changes in health care delivery. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. Hackensack Meridian Health and Carrier Clinic, New Jersey’s oldest and most respected behavioral health provider, signed a definitive agreement to merge.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.