MORGANTOWN – WVU Hospitals held its second annual MedEd signing day on Monday.
The ceremony recognized 77 students from Morgantown High, University High and MTEC who have an interest in entering the medical field and joined the program.
MedEd is a two-year program that places students in the workplace during the school day and includes a curriculum that combines technical and professional skills.
Colleen Sybert, WVUH vice president for Human Resources, said MedEd offers two career tracks: ambulatory care assistant in an outpatient facility, where the student can check-in patients, take vitals and such things; and sterile processing technician, where the student helps prep an operating room.
During the second year, seniors spend more time in one or the other career track, she said. And during the second half of the senior year, part of the time is paid. Upon completion, if they’re interested, students may be offered an entry-level career position at WVUH.
Maxwell Plum will start his senior year at MHS and his second year in MedEd come fall. Asked why he signed on, he said, “I’ve just always been really interested in going into the medical field and working in a hospital setting. When I finally got this opportunity I thought, ‘This is my best chance at getting into somewhere I want to be for the rest of my life.’”
Plum wants to eventually become a neurosurgeon, he said.
Bree Mayor will be a UHS senior and will start her second year in the fall. She said she became interested in signing on when a number of students went on a field trip before they applied and learned about the array of opportunities available.
And she likes the idea of getting paid while learning. “I’m really excited about that.” She wants to become a traveling nurse practitioner.
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
