Local Students Explore Health Care Careers

Sacred Heart invited aspiring health care professionals for hands-on summer academies that introduced them to a wide range of clinical careers and college pathways

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University welcomed Connecticut high school students to two immersive summer health care programs, providing hands-on experiences that introduced them to careers in nursing and allied health professions
• Students gained practical health care skills and certifications, including Hands-Only CPR, Narcan administration, and Stop the Bleed training, while working in advanced simulation labs and clinical environments
• Participants explored health care careers through real-world experiences, including hospital tours, mentorship from faculty and health care professionals, emergency response demonstrations, and exposure to cutting-edge medical technology
• The programs help build the future health care workforce by giving students early exposure to health care education, career pathways, interprofessional collaboration, and patient-centered care

Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions and Davis & Henley College of Nursing held two summer immersion programs for local students to learn more about the health care field.

Hands-On Learning with Health Professions

For the College of Health Professions, it was an inaugural academy, bringing together 25 rising high school seniors from nine public and private high schools across Connecticut.

“The academy was designed to inspire the next generation of health care professionals by giving high school students immersive, hands-on experiences that explore diverse health care careers and the educational pathways which lead to them,” said Irina Ellison, associate dean for academic affairs & global programs. “It was built around the four interprofessional educational collaborative core competencies: teamwork, communication, roles and responsibilities, and ethics and values.”

During the academy, students engaged with faculty and staff from a wide range of disciplines within the College of Health Professions, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech, language & hearing sciences, physician associate studies, health sciences, nutrition, exercise science, and radiography. They gained hands-on experience using the Center for Healthcare Education’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the Pioneer Performance Center, driving simulator, simulation labs, high-fidelity mannequins, and Anatomage Table.

Students also earned certifications in Hands-Only CPR, Narcan administration, and Stop the Bleed training through Sacred Heart’s EMS partners at Hartford HealthCare, led by Shannon Spaulding, EMS care coordinator and program manager at St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

The experience extended beyond campus with a half-day visit to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, where students heard from Bill Jennings, president of Hartford HealthCare’s Fairfield Region, about his career journey. They also met with Wesley Young, director of EMS operations, and toured key hospital departments, including orthopedics, cardiology, the cardiac catheterization lab, the emergency department, radiology, CT imaging, and the clinical laboratory.

One of the week’s highlights was a LIFE STAR helicopter demonstration on campus, where students witnessed firsthand the coordinated efforts provided by EMS professionals, flight crews, firefighters, and health care providers during an emergency response.

Jordan Schweidenback, associate dean for clinical & strategic partnerships, said, “Through interactions with faculty, health care professionals, students, and community partners, participants explored career paths and educational opportunities while gaining the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about their futures.”

College of Nursing Immersive Experience

The Davis & Henley College of Nursing marked the college’s fourth annual summer immersion event for Bridgeport, Norwalk, and other local high school students interested in learning more about the nursing profession. Twenty participants entering grades 10-12 were accepted into the program and enjoyed a week filled with experiential learning activities and expert guidance from faculty and staff about how to prepare academically for entering nursing.

Students explored nursing through hands-on clinical skills and high-fidelity simulations, a daylong hospital shadowing experience, and mentorship from faculty, nurses in various clinical settings, and current nursing students. They earned CPR certification, completed Narcan and Stop the Bleed training, explored the Anatomage table, and even worked with emergency equipment on an ambulance driven and operated by SHU nursing faculty. Experiencing labor and delivery and other clinical scenarios through simulation were program highlights, as was spending time in the Emergency Department and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital.

The experiences helped to demystify the various pathways to becoming a nurse and the range of opportunities in the nursing profession, from the “bedside to the boardroom.” Participants also experienced campus life while connecting with peers who share an interest in health care careers.

“Many students are familiar with nursing only through what they see on television or during occasional visits to a health care provider,” said Cynthia O’Sullivan, associate dean of academic affairs & global nursing. “Many of them have never been in a hospital. This program gives them a firsthand look at the depth, complexity, and vital role nurses play in delivering compassionate, high-quality patient care.”