After interning for the Willamette Valley Medical Center (WVMC), Nancy Suarez has changed her career goals.
“I want to become a doctor,” said the recent McMinnville High School
(MHS) grad. “Maybe in the ER because I like the urgency, the rush.”
The internship program is part of a partnership between the high
school and the local hospital. The MHS Health Sciences Career Pathway
program includes internship opportunities at the hospital, which is how
Suarez first became professionally acquainted with WVMC.
“The internships are 12 hours in four different areas,” said Suarez.
“I chose radiology, the lab, cardio-pulmonary and the operating room.”
Suarez began the internship thinking she wanted to go into radiology,
but after getting some hands-on experience, she shifted her thinking.
“The internships really give you a feel for what it’s like,” she said. “You get to see it with your own eyes.”
The WVMC partnership paid off in another way for Suarez as well. She
was hired last spring to work in Admitting over the summer.
“After interning here, I developed relationships with people in
different departments,” she said. “Having those relationships has
definitely helps me do my job better.”
Photo courtesy Lori Kernutt, WVMC