Huntington Hospital Nurses Visit
HHS Students
A pair of Huntington Hospital nurses visited Huntington High School students last week to discuss possible careers with the teenagers.
Surgical nurse Sherry Anderson and pediatric nurse Shari O’Neill spoke with 40 students, including teacher Rosario Lorenzano’s Allied Health class and 15 other students that signed up to listen to the presentation.
“Sherry and Shari have over 50 years of combined experience in the field,” said Karina Thepenier, a high school guidance counselor who coordinated the visit. “They shared their experiences as a nurse in each of their respective areas of expertise. They shared their wealth of knowledge with our students. Their passion for their profession was evident to everyone in the room. When Sherry and Shari were asked by a student, ‘What is your favorite part of your job?’ They both answered: ‘It is very rewarding and I love making a difference.’”
The two veteran nurses held the attention of the teenage crowd. “The students were fully engaged, took notes and asked many questions throughout the presentation,” Ms. Thepenier said. “The students learned about career trends in the nursing field, salary ranges and the education necessary to obtain employment in a multitude of settings such as a chief nursing officer, chief executive nurse, legal nurse, nurse informatics and flight nurse, among others.”
By the next day, Allied Health students were already connecting their science elective with a possible healthcare career, Ms. Lorenzano said. “They had a clear picture of what that may look like thanks to Sherry Anderson and Shari O’Neill,” Ms. Thepenier said.