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As the COACH (Career Opportunity Advancement Children's Hospital) program drew to a close in August, the hospital said goodbye to the 50 high school interns who participated in the seven-week program. For many of the interns, their summer jobs at Children's Hospital Boston were their very first work experiences. "It was a chance to learn what goes on behind the scenes at a hospital," says Ricky Louissaint, 18, who spent the summer working in Patient Safety.
The program, overseen by Brian Hughes and Florence Chan in Human Resources, was created to give youth from urban areas of Boston the opportunity to explore health care careers while having a safe, meaningful summer. COACH interns attended weekly check-ins and participated in workshops about topics like conflict, communication and banking literacy—during which Louissaint opened his first bank account.
When Phuong Kim Tran, 16, began her internship in the Emergency Department, she had no idea what sort of career she wanted to pursue but was eager to learn. By the end of her internship, she discovered she'd like to pursue the business side of health care. "I like the environment and being around sophisticated, educated people," she says.
Other interns, like Thanh Le, 18, with Patient Safety, tailored their COACH experience to fit their career goals. "I want to be a corporate lawyer so I wanted to get a feel for the hospital business," says Le. "The experience was great. I liked being able to work in a professional environment on projects that are really necessary and knowing that I'm part of the bigger picture."
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