Summer Program Creating Rewarding Experience For Future Medical Professionals

At Bethany Children's Health Center, they impact the lives of kids with complex medical needs, but those aren’t the only kids being impacted by this amazing place. They call it the Volume Summer Program.

“It’s an opportunity for students who are about to enter into their junior or senior year of high school who may have an interest in the medical field,” said Claudia Votaw, volunteer coordinator with Bethany Children's Health Center.

The program brings together about 25 students from all over the metro teaching them team building skills while working in a medical facility.

“I think I definitely learned that it takes a whole team to do things,” said Volume participant Calli Hill.

Hill is a junior at Mustang High School and wants to be a NICU nurse.

“We got to shadow something different every day. So, I shadowed nursing, I shadowed APRNs,” said Hill.

Along with shadowing the staff, guest speakers come in every morning to give the kids realistic expectations and goals.

“It was super nice to hear how she went through things,” said Hill.

“I did this, and it was awesome, and this is what you have to look forward to,” said past participant Melissa Green, who went through the program in 2018.

“I grew so much, and I loved this hospital so much that I decided to keep volunteering here after I finished Volume,[...] It’s my happy place. I like other places and I like other people but there’s just no other place I would rather come back to every day, said Green.

After a couple of years of volunteering Melissa worked as a tech, now she is in school to become a Physician’s Assistant and would like nothing more than to work at Bethany Children’s Center.

As she passes her experiences down to the current participants in the program, it is already having an effect.

“I think that I definitely applied for the volunteer program and the teen leadership board,” said Hill.

“To know that they are going to be my future coworkers down the line. Just seeing them grow and I think that is the biggest joy and the biggest blessing,” said Votaw.

Registration for next summer’s program starts in November, but it’s never too early to start inquiring. For more information visit www.bethanychildrens.org.