BURRILVILLE – A new collaboration between Eleanor Slater Hospital and the Burrillville School Department will allow high school students to experience firsthand a career in health care.
Through this partnership, expected to start in the spring of 2023, students will shadow workers at the hospital’s Zambarano campus, receiving mentorship and hands-on experience while earning a credit toward their Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs. This will also give the hospital an opportunity to highlight its work, while exposing students to a professional path in the health care field.
“The Zambarano campus of Eleanor Slater Hospital has long been part of the Burrillville community, and it only makes sense for us to work together in a way that enriches the education of students and helps the hospital to promote its work and the career options it offers,” said Brett Johnson, CEO of Eleanor Slater Hospital. “That’s what makes this collaboration truly a win-win. Students will be able to experience the world of health care and get a firsthand look at the care the hospital provides for some of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable patients, and we at the hospital hope that this will lead to young people one day applying for jobs to work at Eleanor Slater.”
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Eleanor Slater Hospital, Zambarano Unit, to benefit our Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs at Burrillville High School,” said Michael Sollitto, superintendent of the Burrillville Public Schools. “Working together, we will foster a positive working relationship that will allow our students experiential learning opportunities. Several of our CTE programs will be positively impacted by this relationship, including our Biomedical Pathway, Environmental Science, Construction Management, Graphic Communications, and others.”
Through this experience, students will be able to see the variety of career opportunities in health care, said Jennifer McCarthy, administrator of Eleanor Slater Hospital’s Zambarano campus.
“This collaboration will also help students to see how people with different educational and professional backgrounds work together to assist and care for people with significant medical and behavioral challenges, helping those people to meet their own lifetime goals,” McCarthy said.
Claudia Chiappa is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Chiappa@PBN.com.
