Beacon and Niles High School partner to “ignite excitement” in nursing and healthcare

Niles High School students who are part of the Career Technical Education, or CTE program, have the unique opportunity to learn about nursing and healthcare from our clinicians and caregivers right inside our Beacon Health System hospitals.

“The benefit to the student is exposure and really digging in and seeing healthcare from first-point experience. There is a million nurse shortage in our nation and its going to continue for more than a decade. So this helps us great an interest in healthcare. We want to ignite excitement and passion around nursing and all the professions in healthcare,” said Sarah Paturalski, MBA/MSN, RN, Vice President of Nursing & Clinical Services, Memorial Hospital.

Sarah was recently on hand to receive an award on behalf of the health system. Beacon received the “You Make a Difference” Berrien County CTE Business Partnership Award for this collaboration:

“Beacon Health System has gone above and beyond to give our students an exceptional Work-Based Learning experience this school year. Students were able to participate in hands-on clinical experience in many areas, including: oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, medical-surgical, NICU, intensive care, pediatrics, palliative care and more. Beacon was very focused on their attentiveness to students; staff event wanted to know what they could do better to be better mentors and help prepare students for entering the workforce. The students felt welcomed and wanted and thoroughly enjoyed their experiences with Beacon Health System. We are so excited that next school year, they will be taking on eight new interns.”

Beacon’s involvement in CTE and our partnership with Niles High School was recently highlighted on Economic Outlook with host Jeff Rea, the president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber, on PBS Michiana – WNIT. The full episode that features a conversation with Sarah can be found by clicking the photo below.

“We do feel at Beacon that helping the community survive the nursing shortage is part of what we’re here to do,” Sarah says. “And if creating interest in young kids in those high school years helps that, we’re here for it.”

Tap on the photo to hear the full WNIT interview.