Ten Bermudian Students to Visit Massachusetts General Hospital

A health careers exploration programme developed by the Career Paths Initiative and Massachusetts General Hospital in collaboration with the Bermuda Hospitals Board

Ten Bermudian students, each with an ambition to pursue a career in the medical profession, are about to receive the experience of a lifetime. The students have been selected to participate in a one-week health careers exploration programme hosted by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. During this visit, students will receive first-hand exposure to an array of medical career opportunities. The visit is organized and funded in part by the Career Paths Initiative (CPI), a partnership between The ACE Foundation and the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Bermuda Hospitals Board and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The students were selected by the Bermuda Hospitals Board based on their demonstrated interest in the field of medicine and their participation in the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s volunteer programme. The students along with representatives from the partnership organisations will leave Bermuda on Sunday 24 July for the intensive week-long visit.

During the visit to MGH the students will participate in tours, lectures, and hands–on science activities. Their final day will be spent shadowing and working side-by -side with an MGH health care provider in their chosen field of interest. Evenings will be busy too – students will spend their time logging daily activities in their journals as well as participating in educational activities such as career and scholarship research, sharing their learning experiences within the group, and museum trips.

The students have been fundraising for the health careers exploration visit through bake sales, car-window washing service and circulating pledge sheets. Their goal is to raise 50% of the cost of the visit with the Career Paths Initiative providing the balance of the funds. The students and their fields of interest are:

Ashley Isaac – Pathology
Brenda June Millet – Microbiology
Ebony Leverock – Pharmacy
Erin Ingemann – Pathology/Geriatric Nursing
Jac’quita Augustus – Emergency Nursing
Kendra Faries – Paediatrics
Stephanie Woods – Pediatric Nursing
Terri Tear – Paediatrics
Taqwa Talbot – Medicine
Theresa Francis – Physiotherapy

Mr. Ralph Richardson, Executive Director of The ACE Foundation, speaking on behalf of the CPI said, “The principal goal of the CPI is to collaborate with community and government organizations to develop and enhance career awareness opportunities for Bermuda’s youth. With this goal in mind we were particularly delighted to partner with the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Bermuda Hospital’s Board to facilitate this student career exploration programme. It gives me great pleasure to accompany these dedicated and hard-working young Bermudians as they embark on what we see as not merely a work experience opportunity, but the first step to a successful and rewarding career as a health care professional.”

The Hon. Terry E. Lister, Minister of Education and Development said, “The Ministry of Education and Development is pleased to have been able to be a part of the CPI. In keeping with Government’s Social vision, we are interested in ensuring that Bermudians are properly skilled and trained. These ten young people confirm that we are not off target. Bermuda can be justifiably proud of her young people. Given the proper guidance, our young people will make informed and responsible choices about their futures. These students have carefully considered their options in life and have made a conscious decision to follow a career in medicine or in a medical-related field. I am pleased at their focus and wish them all the best in their endeavors.

Mr. Scott Pearman, Director of Human Resources, Bermuda Hospitals Board said, “It is critical to the future success of the Island’s healthcare system that we encourage young Bermudians to enter the medical profession. One of our goals at the Bermuda Hospitals Board is to provide students with learning opportunities such as this work-shadowing programme to enable them to explore the many career options available in the health services field. I look forward to seeing these students join our team in the future and continue to provide the best care to our community.”

Dr. John Stakes, MD, Director of Specialty Care and Development comments, “We see this collaboration spearheaded by the Career Paths Initiative as a way of continuing to broaden our hospitals teaching mission. Developing a curriculum and forums that will continue to engage, nurture, and educate youth from Bermuda who have demonstrated and interest in healthcare are the necessary action steps to take to ensure that are future health care providers are informed, prepared and highly skilled to meet the challenges of this industry.”

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Notes to Editors:

The Career Paths Initiative (CPI), launched in February 2005, was created by The ACE Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Education to encourage Bermuda´s youth to achieve long-term career success. Through partnerships with business, community and government organizations, the CPI aims to motivate, inform, and enable Bermuda´s youth to reach for careers that best fit their individual interests while building awareness of the skills required to support Bermuda’s economic and social stability. Additional information can be found at: www.careerpaths.bm

The ACE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the ACE Group of Companies in Bermuda. Formed in 1997 by declaration of trust, the Foundation is committed to addressing the needs of the Bermuda community through partnerships with charitable organizations. ACE Limited is the Bermuda-based holding company for the ACE Group of Companies, a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. A component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, The ACE Group conducts its business on a worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in nearly 50 countries. Additional information can be found at www.acelimited.com.

Massachusetts General Hospital is a world renowned hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. The MGH School Partnerships is an MGH Community Benefits initiative. For more than 15 years the MGH has worked with Boston Public Schools to offer underserved and underrepresented youth opportunities in science and health careers. MGH sustains this commitment not only because it is the right thing to do, but also as a strategy to develop a more diverse, informed and academically prepared and skilled workforce. The MGH have received several recognitions for the work they do in this area. Additional information can be found at: http://www.massgeneral.org/about/community.htm

Pictured in first row (left to right): Scott Pearman, BHB Director of Human Resources, Ralph Richardson, Executive Director of the ACE Foundation, The Hon. Terry E. Lister, Minister of Education and Development, and Taqwa Talbot, Student Volunteer.

Back row (left to right): Debra Byrd, BHB Director of Volunteer Services, Stacey Leverock, Chaperone and students Ebony Leverock, Erin Ingemann, Theresa Francis, Ashley Isaac, Terri Tear, Jac´quita Augustus, Stephanie Woods, Brenda June Millett and Nadia Tuckett.

Student not pictured: Kendra Faries

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