Posted: 7/27/2011
Five students from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE) in Baltimore are got up close and personal with top nursing faculty at Johns Hopkins this summer. Kayla, Diamond, Erica, Tyesha, and Diego, all juniors, shadowed nursing leaders at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHSON) for the last five weeks as part of a joint program between the Hopkins Diversity and Academic Advancement Summer Institute (DAASI) and the Incentive Mentoring Program (IMP). This is the first year high school students were placed at the SON, and the program lasts for six weeks, beginning in June.
“This is wonderful opportunity for students to have a front-row seat to the research and practice side of nursing, and hopefully plant the seed for a future career in healthcare,” said JHSON professor Phyllis Sharps, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, Community and Public Health chairperson.
The students were paired with faculty mentors, who included Elizabeth Jordan, DNSc, MSN, RNC; Shirley Van Zandt, MS, MPH, RN, CRNP; Patty Wilson, MSN, RN; Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN; and Sharps. Kayla and Diamond learned about birth companions, a free service that provides labor companions to women giving birth, from Jordan and Van Zandt; Erica learned about the inner workings of community health centers from Sharps and Wilson; Tyesha worked with Sharps and other researchers on a domestic violence visitation program (DOVE); and Diego assisted with presentations and publications for a women’s health study with Campbell.
Each year, the IMP matches local high school students with hundreds of Johns Hopkins undergraduate and graduate volunteers, as well as dedicated individuals from the Baltimore community. The goal of the IMP and DAASI is to expose students to employment and future career opportunities they might not have otherwise considered. It also strives to form lasting relationships between the students and Johns Hopkins community that will build their self esteem, motivation and determination to succeed academically.