Interns gain healthcare experience at HSA

| 16/08/2019
CNS Local Life
Summer intern Samantha Smellie (right), gets hands-on training during the programme

(CNS Local Life): This year’s summer internship programme at the Health Services Authority (HSA) is providing on-the-job training for 91 students considering careers in healthcare. The 2019 internship programme, running from 1 June to 15 September, had been revamped to provide select students with quality work experience that aligned with their interests and career aspirations.

The programme was launched in April with an informational day where prospective interns learned of what medical, administrative and ancillary careers are available at the HSA, stated a press release. Their applications were screened before students were chosen and placed in the department best suited to their interests.

Each placement ranged from four to ten weeks with work experience offered in more than 40 departments in both the Cayman Islands Hospital on Grand Cayman and Faith Hospital in Cayman Brac.

“Collectively, the managers have been impressed by the work ethic of the participants in this year’s summer student internship programme,” said HSA Chief Human Resources Officer Samantha Bennett. “They have adapted and excelled in our busy work environment, which shows promise for their future careers. It is our hope that they will progress through their studies and that the HSA will be their employer of choice when they are ready to permanently join the workforce.”

One such student is Samantha Smellie, who is entering her third year of undergraduate study in biomedical science at Kings College in London. She spent her internship in the surgical unit of Cayman Islands Hospital. “This is my third internship with the HSA, and I return each year because of the valuable clinical experience,” Smellie said in the press release. “As an aspiring physician, I think that working for the HSA would be very rewarding because I would be able to treat the members of the population that are most in need.”

The HSA’s summer internship was created more than ten years ago for senior high school, college and university students. Interns have the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience within the healthcare industry and are able to explore different career paths, as well as make valuable connections while participating within this paid internship.

For more information on internships and job opportunities go to the HSA website

Tags: , ,

Category: Local News, Medical and Health

Comments are closed.