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Tatiana Cortes and Tayla Walker aren’t in high school yet, but they’ve already worked in a high-pressure environment with serious responsibilities. As part of BWH’s ScienceWorks program, the girls worked part-time equipping anesthesia and cardiac carts with all of the instruments the OR team needs for surgery.
Cortes and Walker were among 19 eighth-graders from the Maurice J. Tobin School and Roxbury Preparatory Charter School who last week graduated from ScienceWorks, which is run by the Office for Women, Family and Community Programs. The students were placed in departments throughout the hospital for the summer to work 16 hours per week. “For most students, it’s their first real paycheck, so they’re excited,” said Amy Belyea, youth programs manager. “But they also truly enjoy the experience of working here.”
The program included a weekly academic session coordinated by Pamela Audeh, youth programs coordinator. In the sessions, BWH neurologists and Harvard Medical School professors talked about aspects of the brain, including anatomy, memory, learning function, senses and visual perception. Each student completed a project on the brain and presented it at graduation.
Before gaining a spot with the ScienceWorks program this summer, each student was required to complete 36 hours of volunteer work in the spring. The students were placed in the same department for their internship only if their supervisor gave them a favorable evaluation. “It gives them incentive to work hard,” Belyea said. “They’re not guaranteed a spot if they don’t earn it.”
Cortes and Walker proved their dedication by handling tasks like delivering medical and surgical supplies to the OR during surgeries. “It’s worked out perfectly,” supervisor Marylou Miranda said. “They did a great job and handled the responsibility well.”