What do you want to be when you “grow up?” What are your career plans? High school and college students often get asked these questions, but the answers are often uncertain for a variety of reasons. One key reason for uncertainty can be a lack of exposure and the perceived lack of opportunities in rural communities. Nex-Generation Roundup for Youth Inc. has been working to change that narrative.
Nex-Gen serves northwest and north central Kansas, providing and supporting career development, entrepreneurship, and internship programs. One of the organization’s long-standing programs pairs businesses in the region with students interested in learning more about a specific industry or field of study. Osborne County Memorial Hospital is partnering with Nex-Gen this summer to offer high school and college students three healthcare internships.
OCMH’s physical therapy department benefits from having two interns. Brooke Befort of Osborne joins the department for a second summer. She will be a Fort Hays State University sophomore majoring in Health and Human Performance. Through this internship, she is exploring her interest in helping patients with therapy needs and gaining valuable workplace experience.
"The Nex-Generation Roundup for Youth has provided me with a valuable opportunity to advance my knowledge in my prospective career field,” Befort said. “The internship program last year afforded me numerous insights into the healthcare sector that would have otherwise been inaccessible. This year, my internship has enabled me to bridge my college education with practical experiences in Physical Therapy, thereby deepening my understanding of the relevant concepts."
Grace Smith of Downs is also working with the therapy team. Grace is a recent Lakeside High School graduate and will attend Fort Hays State this fall to start the Health and Human Performance program. She is using this opportunity to investigate whether she’d like to pursue therapy or nursing as a career path.
“I got to observe several areas of healthcare at OCMH,” Smith said. “It was a good opportunity to learn about the industry and get a better sense of what I like and which fields aren’t for me.”
The OCMH radiology department is fortunate to have Hudson Wolters from Osborne, a recent Osborne High School graduate. This is Hudson’s second summer as a Nex-Gen intern but her first time at OCMH.
“Both internship experiences were great,” Wolters said. “This year, I was able to take a closer look at work related to my future field of study.”
This summer, OCMH is pleased to continue supporting the Nex-Gen internship program, which helps local students explore careers in healthcare and gain experience working in rural Kansas.
In addition to working closely with their teams, the interns are getting an opportunity to observe other areas of healthcare. They are also assisting with various community relations projects, including hosting a summer youth group from USD 392 as they learned about the services available at OCMH. They have been leading OCMH’s participation in the Downs Celebration and the Osborne County Fair.
“We have enjoyed having this group of interns over the summer,” said Amy Doane, HR and marketing director for the hospital. “They have had hands-on experiences in several departments and have seen the importance of the hospital’s involvement in the community. We wish them all the best in their continued education and would welcome any of them back to OCMH in the future.”
To learn more about the Nex-Gen program, visit their website at www.nex-generation.org.
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