Madison Hospital Ambassadors from BJ, JC engage in healthcare firsthand
MADISON – Madison Hospital has instituted a new program that allows high school seniors to realize the possibilities of a career in healthcare.
As Madison Hospital Ambassadors, seniors from Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools spend a semester with on-site exposure to healthcare at the community hospital. The hospital established the charter group of Ambassadors for fall semester of 2024, according to Kelly Hatley, Ambassador Program Coordinator.
“The intent is to create an impactful program that will enrich Madison Hospital’s community engagement, development and outreach efforts,” Hatley said. “The Ambassador program is an immersive, leadership-based program designed to inspire local high school seniors with immense potential to develop connections with senior staff and discover their career pathway by serving in a community hospital environment.”
A crucial component to the endeavor’s success is mentorship. The program is built on fundamental pillars for intentional leadership, career pathways and relationship development, Hatley said.
Instead of focusing only on academic excellence, an Ambassador candidate will be strong on multiple levels, including leadership, community involvement, maturity, personality and motivation.
These students participated in Ambassador’s charter class:
• Bob Jones — Kayla Farley, Martin Serafin and Kennedi Thomas.
• James Clemens — Maggie Barker, Katie Blankenship, Isabella Tejada, Parker Wrobel, Xin Lin, Jayda Yamaguchi and Pahel Zaveri.
Ambassador sponsors are these Career Coaches: Michelle Hyams, Madison City Schools; Sara Baragona, James Clemens; and Jodi Jones, Middle Schools.
Ambassadors report for two blocks of school or 15 hours per week. “Students arrive at 8 a.m. and leave at 11 a.m. Most days, they are shadowing in different areas of the hospital with a hospital employee,” Hatley said. “Some days, they’re attending a leadership class or planning a fundraiser for the hospital.”
Students ‘shadow’ in most hospital areas, including clinical spaces and support services. Clinical spaces include nursing in patient areas, Lab, Physical Therapy, Imaging, Respiratory and Surgery. Support areas include Dietary, Environmental Services, IT and Plant Operations.
“Most students are planning on going into nursing, medical research, medical school or physical therapy. Others came into the program not sure what career to pursue. They wanted the experience to help them in this decision,” Hatley said.
A requirement for Ambassadors is enrollment in Career Tech classes, in which students can earn multiple healthcare certifications that can help in employment at Madison Hospital or other healthcare facilities.
“The program’s goal is to give students a day-today view of what happens hands-on,” Hatley said. “We also want to open their eyes to all the different things that happen in a hospital.”
One student Ambassador who graduated in December is now working in the Madison Hospital Lab as a Lab Technician.
As Hospitality and Volunteer Director at Madison Hospital, Hatley has conducted a Youth Summer Program for high school students, 15 to 18 years old, since 2013.
“We wanted to develop a more robust program like Ambassadors that would give students more exposure to the whole hospital, as well as leadership and relationship tools they can use in the future,” Hatley said.
