For several years, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and Northeast Technical High School in Watertown have partnered to provide real, hands-on job experiences in the medical field for students. There are eight northeastern South Dakota high schools that attend the Northeast Tech co-op. The Health Science Program is offered to students and consists of three courses: Health Science Careers, Medical Terminology (Dual Credit), and the Healthcare Internship.
In the Health Science Careers course, students learn basic healthcare skills like, taking vital signs, safe patient care, infection control, BLS/CPR certification, professional behavior, identifying healthcare careers, and employable qualities. Students receive numerous tours of different areas within Prairie Lakes exploring career options in an ever-expanding healthcare environment. At the end of their semester, students participate in a ten-day career shadow experience at PLHS, where they follow the staff, learn more about various medical procedures, and observe real-life interactions in a hospital setting.
In the Medical Terminology course, students learn basic medical terminology language with the option to take it as a Dual Credit class. During the second phase of the course, students then will do an extended field experience/mini-internship in a healthcare setting they are most interested in.
The Healthcare Internship class is a semester long, work-based program building on prior skills and experiences. Currently, Prairie Lakes is hosting two interns for the Spring Semester with goals of growing those numbers for next year.
The Health Science Program at Northeast Tech and the Prairie Lakes Healthcare System have a wonderful working partnership. Shannon Buelow, Health Science Instructor at Northeast Technical High School says, "The Prairie Lakes staff engages student involvement and facilitates amazing learning experiences. We are very grateful for the experiences at PLHS and the staff is amazing to work with. A student recently commented 'The staff was always willing to teach me about what they are doing. They were really good at getting me involved and made it so easy for me to learn.' She continued, "They truly do make a difference in the lives of so many students." Buelow also shared what another student had to say about the program; “I have completely changed my mind about my career after shadowing. I now know exactly what I want to do, and I am so thankful for this experience!”
One of the students in this program was recently at Prairie Lakes for his Northeast Tech hospital rotation. He was walking through the hallways when he noticed a distressed Spanish speaking individual. This individual was looking for help and he didn't hesitate to be the person she needed. Using his invaluable skill of speaking both English and Spanish, he was able to assist in helping the individual get to where they needed to go. It’s small acts of kindness and genuine care being fostered in the Prairie Lakes environment that not only leaves a huge impact on our patients, but also on the career paths of these students.