P3 Helps STEM Students Connect with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Professionals
Bellows Falls Union High School’s Anatomy and Physiology students had a great time chatting with several Brattleboro Memorial Hospital employees from a wide variety of departments this past week in the first of many scheduled P3 Career Spotlights. STEM teacher, Kristin Gottschalk and guidance counselor, Mark Gebo worked closely with P3 to organize the event in an effort to bring greater awareness to local students about quality healthcare careers in our region.
Todd Fahey, Director of Hospital Ambulatory Services, Kristy O’Neil, Director of Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Center for Cardiovascular Health, and Rehab Services, Jackie Amidon, Director of Inpatient Services, and Michael Martin, Human Resources Recruiter were on hand to share stories about their own career pathways and to answer student questions about higher ed. opportunities, entry level positions, and the best and worst aspects of their jobs.
P3 Coordinator Christy Betit with Todd Fahey, Director of Hospital Ambulatory Services at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.
Students prepared for the speaker panel by researching high-demand healthcare positions, developing questions for the panelists, and participating in a professionalism workshop led by P3 Coordinator, Christy Betit. Students learned about professional communications skills, including best practices for appropriate body language while interacting with panelists, and more specifically, how to make a good impression during Zoom meetings, a skill most adults are still struggling with!
The P3 Career Spotlight Series will continue at BFUHS in 2021 with a focus on connecting content areas such as Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts with quality careers in SoVT. We hope to bring Career Spotlights to all Windham County schools in the coming year, and encourage all educators to reach out to Christy Betit if interested in scheduling a Career Spotlight in their classrooms at cbetit@brattleborodevelopment.com.
Funding for P3 is provided by the McClure Foundation, Vermont Training Program, Vermont Community Foundation, the Windham County Economic Development Program, Thompson Trust, People’s United Bank, Tom Smith & Omega Optical, and the Whitney Blake Company in Bellows Falls.
BDCC’s Pipelines and Pathways Program (P3) provides employment oriented career-planning for the region’s high school students. It brings training in 21st Century skills, work-based learning, and personal learning plan (PLP) engagement opportunities to all four public high schools in Windham County. The program assists in developing workforce-oriented curricula, expanding classroom relationships, and growing work-based learning through opportunities with local employers. It also supports teachers working face to face with students to implement personal learning plans and seize the myriad opportunities presented by Vermont’s Flexible Pathways Initiative under Act 77. Pipelines & Pathways a BDCC Workforce Center of Excellence program based on SeVEDS strategies to increase the size and quality of the workforce. For more information please visit https://brattleborodevelopment.com/workforce/
