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Student Tatiana Finch (at left) watches as BWH's Emily Kibbler processes blood samples for potential organ transplant recipients.
Tatiana Finch watched closely as Emily Kibbler, a tissue typing technologist, processed blood samples for potential organ transplant recipients on Jan. 31.
Dressed in a light blue lab coat, Finch, a 10th grader at Edward M. Kennedy Academy in Boston, was one of 14 high school students who participated in the 19th annual Job Shadow Day at BWH. She hopes to find a job in the medical field once she completes her education.
"I'm learning a lot," she said. "I get to see how scientists in the lab work. I'm finding out what it takes to get here."
Job Shadow Day, hosted by BWH's Workforce Development (WFD) team, is an initiative of the Boston Private Industry Council, which connects youth and adults with local education and employment opportunities.
Wendy Lam, WFD Youth Programs coordinator, said BWHers were paired for Job Shadow Day with students from Edward M. Kennedy and The English High School in Jamaica Plain. Eleven departments participated, including the Tissue Typing Lab, Radiology, Interpreter Services, the Vascular Diagnostic Lab and Nursing Services.
"We are so thankful to the departments that participated," Lam said. "This event is a very rewarding experience for both staff and students."
Radiology's Victoria Glassman (at left) looks at X-ray images of a patient's ankle with student Zoie Smith-Sparks.
In the Vascular Diagnostic Lab, technician Marc Benjamin worked with English senior Amah Kake Diaby. Benjamin decided to volunteer for Job Shadow Day because it's an opportunity to share knowledge with interested students.
While looking at X-ray images of a patient's ankle in the Department of Radiology, English sophomore Zoie Smith-Sparks said she wants to be a nurse someday.
Barry Hall, director of education for the Department of Radiology, along with Victoria Glassman, Radiology clinical coordinator, talked with Smith-Sparks about their work and how the radiology field has evolved over the years, thanks to technology.
Hall, who has worked in Radiology for the last 45 years, said he has taken part in several Job Shadow Days because it's an opportunity to interact with students and educate them about the field.
Lam hopes even more departments will participate in Job Shadow Day in the coming years.
"It aligns with our mission as a teaching hospital," she said. "It provides employees with a way to give back to the hospital's surrounding community."