April, 2008
by Eileen Mattai

Tech Prep Internships Make a Win-Win Situation for Employers

Each year, Rio Grande State Center/South Texas Health Care System rolls out the red carpet for Tech Prep First Generation interns. “They become another set of eyes and ears and hands. They see things differently,” says Ellie Santa Ana, Community Relations director at the healthcare facility. “They ask us to explain things to them. It’s great for our staff to be asked to talk about the work they love.”

The interns, high school students following healthcare career pathways with technical and academic courses, find the welcoming attitude starts with RGSC/STHCS Superintendent Sonia Hernandez-Keeble. “She is all about teaching, giving back to the community, and encouraging hands-on experience,” Santa Ana explains.

RGSC/STHCS is like a small city with 450 employees. It sees approximately 5,000 patients a month, uninsured people who could be classified as the working poor. In addition, the Mental Health department admits psychiatric patients for approximately two-week periods, while the Mental Retardation department cares for long-term residents, with an average stay of 16 years.

“The students are able to see what we do and the patients we serve. They become our advocates for tomorrow, telling others about who we serve and about our work ethic,” Santa Ana says.

Inspired after participating in the operation of this unusual hospital, several interns from Tech Prep as well as medical students from the Regional Academic Health Center, a campus of the University of Texas Health Science-San Antonio, have announced their intention to complete their educations and return to work at RGSC/STHCS.

Santa Ana said the RGSC/STHCS experience broadens the young students’ horizons while motivating them in selecting a specific healthcare field. The diversity of opportunities for interns--from medical records, pharmacy, patient education, and accounting to social work, radiology, nutrition, and psychology–almost insures each one will find a match for their interests. After a summer working in the specialty, the interns can decide if they have found their life’s work or not.

Last year RGSC/STHCS welcomed 10 Tech Prep interns. This year looking, the staff is looking forward to the same infusion of enthusiasm and commitment. “It’s good for us as well as for Tech Prep students to have this experience. It’s good for the patients, too. That makes it a win-win-win situation.”

Tech Prep interns have praised their on-site mentors for a willingness to explain, to demonstrate, to teach and to counsel. So, it’s no surprise that the RGSC/STHCS staff has been recognized by RAHC for its teaching ability.

And it’s no surprise that the First Generation intern program has a major positive impact on Tech Prep students. To learn more about the program, call 956-364-4509.

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