The successful partnership between St. Jean Baptiste High School and Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital continues in the 2023-2024 school year. Last month the hospital hosted a special graduation ceremony for three SJB seniors who completed a nurse shadowing program exclusive to St. Jean's students. Samaya Gonzales, Angelica Zoquier, and Jasmine Moreno were exposed to myriad facets of nursing during the 100-hour program and had the opportunity to delve more deeply into their areas of particular interest.
The students shadowed in the intensive care unit (ICU), the post anesthesia care unit, the neuroscience ICU, the neonatal ICU, the catheterization laboratory, and the emergency department. They learned about PCA pumps which enable patients to self-administer pain medicine with the push of a button. They observed circumcisions, witnessed a team treating a seizing patient, and watched a carotid angioplasty and stenting procedure.
Samaya remembers tagging along as a small child to pick up her mother--a nurse practitioner and a storyteller with an eye for detail--at the hospital at the end of her shift and being riveted by the tales of her day. Samaya has her sights set on becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, one of the most technical areas of the nursing field. "I appreciate the combination of advanced clinical skills and working in the operation room."
Because of her interest in becoming a CRNA, Samaya was assigned to shadow the CRNA supervisor who arranged for her to observe several surgeries involving different intubation techniques. She also observed portions of a total thyroidectomy procedure and a robot-assisted gastric bypass.
"This experience solidified my career goals." Samaya told the Lenox Hill Hospital medical professionals gathered for the graduation ceremony. "I will get my BSN, transition directly to an ICU, and then apply to CRNA school after two years. I anticipate challenges along the way, but reflecting on this time spent at Lenox Hill will drive me to achieve my ultimate goal of becoming a CRNA."