hospital to become
part of curriculum
Lectures, rotations at
hospital to become
part of curriculum
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
Freehold Regional High School District medical sciences students will get firsthand expertise from doctors and nurses affiliated with the CentraState Healthcare System.
Plans for a joint program for students who are enrolled in the district’s Medical Sciences Specialized Learning Center at Freehold Borough High School were unveiled by representatives of the CentraState Healthcare System and the FRHSD at the July 21 meeting of the district’s Board of Education.
"We have been working together with CentraState to formulate an externship-partnership with our students in the med-sci program," said Suzanne Koegler, assistant superintendent of curriculum.
Members of the FRHSD committee include Nicholas Mennuti, supervisor of the medical sciences learning program; science teachers Jennifer Seery and Steven Kochinski; mathematics teacher John DeValue; and Koegler.
"Basically what we intend to do is to have the students in their senior year, built into the anatomy and physiology program, spend on the average two days a month at CentraState Medical Center," Mennuti said. "They will go through a series of rounds exploring various areas of the hospital, obstetrics, the pulmonary area, prenatal care, wound care, and all kinds of areas. They will have an opportunity to explore."
Mennuti said the staff of the medical center also put together a lecture series that will last for about three hours with a broad range of topics.
"Students will get expert knowledge from experts in the field," Mennuti said. "We’re very proud of this."
He said that during the high school freshman and sophomore years, CentraState has designed a plan for career development for the students, examining careers in rehabilitation, obstetrics, laboratory science, food service, information technology, endocrinology, radiology, respiratory, cardiology and a variety of topics including bioethics and corporate compliance.
During the junior year, med-sci students will hear lectures at the hospital and at the high school which will include such topics as an introduction to microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry and cell physiology.
Also during the junior year, students will partake in discussions regarding bioethics, ethics in research and hospital protocol, with Dr. Benjamin Weinstein, medical director of CentraState Medical Center.
Lectures delivered by experts in their fields will continue during the student’s senior year and will include pathology; skin and wound care; orthopedic medicine; rehabilitation medicine; and cardiology.
An externship rotation program for seniors will include observing pathology labs and the blood bank; the use of radiological diagnostic technology at the hospital; observing outpatient treatment and techniques used at the spine and multiple sclerosis centers; observing cardiac rehabilitation, respiratory ventilators, emergency department unit, family medicine; and information technology.
"It’s a very comprehensive program," Mennuti said.
John McGeehan, community relations coordinator for CentraState Healthcare System, said that about a year ago board member Marlene Caruso of Freehold Township and Mennuti met with John Gribbin, the president and CEO of CentraState Healthcare System, and talked about doing something for the FRHSD medical sciences program.
Caruso is the retired director of the medical sciences learning center.
"John Gribbin, unbeknownst to them at the time, had been looking at doing something regarding the shortages in some of the medical fields that we are experiencing," McGeehan said.
He told the board members that the medical center’s administrators wanted to do something new and different that could help involve youngsters who are interested in medical careers. Hopefully, with guidance from the medical center personnel, they would, one day, come back and pursue their medical careers in the Freehold area, he said.
"We did a trial this year with the freshman class," McGeehan said. "We had them at the hospital all day. They went through a rigorous schedule, through virtually every department there; hands-on in many cases."
He said the students used some of the same equipment that is used by doctors, nurses and technicians.
They also had the opportunity to check out the state-of-the-art equipment at the new oncology radiation center, McGeehan said.
"We’re in the top 5 percent of the country," he said. "It’s the most modern equipment you can get and we have the staff to go along with the equipment."
With intensive planning and meetings throughout the past year, a lot of work and time was devoted to the effort, McGeehan said, adding that the full program will start in September.
McGeehan said Weinstein has been able to recruit additional staff for the program from the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, with which CentraState Medical Center is affiliated.
McGeehan noted that the CentraState Foundation awards scholarships annually to high school students in the area.
"Speaking with Roman Lucky, who is the vice president of the foundation, we’re looking to dedicate additional scholarships to students, specifically in this program," said McGeehan. "These will be new dollars and new scholarships dedicated to the medical sciences learning center students."
Additionally, McGeehan said there is a commitment from the foundation to help the medical sciences program with supplies and equipment.
"It’s really nice when you can take a concept, get a group of people who have a background and are interested, have some knowledge and are creative and [then] be able to get a program off the ground," said Superintendent of Schools James Wasser. "This is something overdue. We have to get back into curriculum more. This is what we’re supposed to be doing. This will be a model for others to come and see. This is a perfect marriage between school and hospital."