|
Newark, NJ—The idea for a mentoring program sprang from an interaction that the Academic Chief Resident of the Emergency Department at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center had with a young patient. Randeep Gill, MD, was managing an 18-year- old female for an ectopic pregnancy and realized that he had treated her three years earlier for a Sexual Transmitted Disease (STD), when she was 15. The teenager did not realize the potential life-threatening implications of the ectopic, nor the lifelong consequences of her prior STD. Dr. Gill felt he must do more to reach these at-risk youth.
Out of this encounter the YEES 2 Beth Program was born, a collaborative effort between the Newark Public Schools – Office of Alternative Education, the Youth Education and Employment Success Center (YEES), and the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
"I started this program as an opportunity to interact with youth who are at an impressionable stage in their lives, by providing mentorship and guidance for issues endemic to the inner city teen" says Dr. Gill, a third year EM resident. "This unique opportunity also provides our physicians with insight into and a better understanding of our patients' life experiences, resulting in a much better connection to our patients in this urban setting."
Changing Lives Through Education
Participating students will report to the Emergency Department at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center on April 20 and receive a pair of official scrubs to begin a one-on-one mentoring opportunity with a medical resident. The YEES 2 BETH pilot program is scheduled to run from through June 12th and mentored students receive transportation and meals. The program functions on two levels:
A series of four “Preventative Education Workshops,” focusing on Pregnancy, Gang Violence, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Drug Use/Abuse, are taught by medical residents from the Department of Emergency Medicine. These workshops are open to all alternative education students at the YEES Center.
- A mentoring program is provided where medical residents serve as one-on-one mentors to ten students with an expressed interest in the medical field. Students are provided job shadowing opportunities within the Department of Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center one to two days a week for 2-3 hours. They gain first-hand knowledge and have exposure to the world of emergency medicine.
The Lester M. Borenstein Department of Emergency Medicine, where the students will be mentored, is staffed by full-time emergency physicians and nurses treating approximately 80,000 patients annually. The Department's board-certified emergency physicians and specialized emergency nurses handle all medical, surgical and psychiatric emergencies. The Emergency Department also offers state-of-the-art pediatric emergency services with a separate waiting area.
The Newark Public Schools – Office of Alternative Education offers a different kind of school experience with a variety of elements that attract “the disheartened and at-risk students.” Dr. Vincent L. Mays, Director of the Office of Alternative Education, spoke with the medical residents from the Department of Emergency Medicine about the benefits this program could have for his young students.
“After Dr. Mays spoke, so many residents said this would be a great program and asked how they could get involved,” says Dr. Gill, a Canadian resident who first saw the health problems of urban life during his residency. “I have seen first hand how adversity can be avoided through education. Our hope is that the residents can provide greater exposure to this education for the students involved.”
For More Information
For more information about The YEES 2 Beth Program, contact The Office of Alternative Education at 973-733-8383.
Date: May 6, 2009
Contact: Beth Salamon
Public Relations
Phone: 973.322.4926
esalamon@sbhcs.com
[ top ]
|
