Currents in Education

YMS STUDENTS JOB SHADOW AT SMMC. Southern Maine Medical Center (SMMC) hosted sixth-grade students from York Middle School on Friday, Feb. 2, for a morning of job shadowing. A total of 18 students participated, working in hospital departments that included nursing, nutrition services, radiology services, information systems, maintenance, rehabilitative therapy, laboratory services, materials management, admissions and community relations. During lunch, the group reconvened to discuss what they had learned and were served individual pizzas prepared by the students who spent the morning in Nutrition Services. Joe Seger, human resources manager, gave each of the potential future employees an SMMC duffle bag as a memento of their visit. As YMS teacher David Galli put it, "This was a great experience. … They all seemed to learn a lot and weren't shy about sharing with their classmates." Pictured, from left, are students Julie Walter and Olivia Broadrick preparing lunch for the whole class while job shadowing at Southern Maine Medical Center. "There were a lot of things we had to do before we could make our delicious lunch," said Julie. "We started with hairnets, a hat and gloves that you change constantly between tasks. It was made with whole wheat crust so it is healthy." And what did her classmates think? Comments included, "It tastes fantastic" and "This is the best pizza I have ever had." Courtesy photo