Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Expands its Health Professions Scholars Program to its Somerset Campus

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is expanding its Health Professions Scholars Program (HPSP) to the Somerset campus to inspire and motivate high school students to explore and plan for advanced education in Allied Healthcare professions upon graduation. The HPSP program introduces healthcare careers to high school students with an aptitude for math and science, through healthcare career and specific topic presentations, visual and hands-on tours in clinical areas, certification classes, Allied Healthcare career-shadowing opportunities and senior internships with Allied Healthcare professionals and healthcare department teams.

The Health Professions Scholars Program launched at RWJ New Brunswick in 1992 with 48 New Brunswick high school students in partnership with the New Brunswick Board of Education. In 2000, the New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School opened on land donated by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Today, under the leadership of Rosanne Tully, RN, Health Professions Outreach Manager, the HPSP program with the New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School has expanded and grown to 200 students.

Due to the success of the program at RWJ New Brunswick, the hospital has launched a similar program at its Somerset campus, which will be referred to as the Somerville Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA). Like the program in New Brunswick, the joint venture between Somerville public schools and RWJUH provides a unique opportunity for high school students to learn first-hand about the many healthcare careers available and gain valuable knowledge, skills and experiences in a hospital setting that cannot be duplicated in a traditional high school classroom. SMSA students will receive an exclusive opportunity as freshmen and sophomores to attend Allied Healthcare education presentations with RWJ Somerset staff which will progress to junior and senior year individual career shadow/internships with individual Allied Healthcare professionals and healthcare departments, similar to what is offered to New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School students at RWJ’s New Brunswick campus.

“We are excited about the opportunity to provide our students with invaluable experience much beyond the classroom walls, support their professional development, and foster their passion for a potential career in healthcare,” said Dr. Timothy Purcell, superintendent of Somerville Public Schools. “The goal of the program is to challenge students academically, stimulate interest in health-related professions, and motivate students to pursue post-secondary education in the medial field that they desire, such as medical school, nursing school, engineering, pharmaceutical, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and more.”

There are a limited number of openings for the program, and interested students must apply for consideration. The SMSA program at RWJ Somerset kicked off with 15 freshman students. RWJ Somerset plans to increase the number of students each year, with a goal of reaching 60 students in four years.

“We continue to achieve tremendous success with our program in New Brunswick and are excited to grow our program to include to students in Somerville, near our Somerset campus,” said Tully. “More than 100 Allied Healthcare Professional hospital employees participate in the program each year to expose local students with a passion for healthcare to the wide variety of healthcare career options. In exchange, the students are obtaining observational healthcare team and patient interaction that will help them in choosing their schooling and future career path.”

If you would like additional information, or if you/your child is interested in applying, please go to the New Brunswick Board of Education or the Somerville Board of Education Web sites for further information.

For more information on RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu. For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at www.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook.