Merrim
ack College juniors Julie Moran, Angelina DiLello and Megan Lyons aren’t stuck going on coffee runs or making copies for their supervisors during their internships at Lawrence General Hospital. As the trio explains, work in the Emergency Center, at Occupational Health and on surgical units keep them on their toes and keep their skills fresh as they pursue health science degrees.
The students are three of the hospital’s more than a dozen interns this semester from North Andover’s Merrimack College, bolstering the longstanding internship program overseen by Volunteer Coordinator Brenda LeBlanc. College and high school students are welcome to take part, with college students – including those from Merrimack – often required to contract with their school to complete a certain number of credit hours toward their coursework. This semester, for Merrimack, it’s 150, LeBlanc said.
Students from two dozen schools, including UMass Lowell, Notre Dame Christo Rey, Haverhill and Salem, New Hampshire, High Schools are among those taking part in this semester’s program, which runs from January until May, according to LeBlanc. It is the first time the program has run since the COVID pandemic.
“They’ve really acclimated themselves to the program and stuck with it. I know it’s been tough,” LeBlanc said of this semester’s interns. “It’s been huge to have them back.”
Interns complete the same pre-hire orientation and other training as volunteers, though LeBlanc said students are much more self-sufficient while they work around campus. Students are not required to remain in one department during their assignment, with many choosing to rotate.
Junior health science major Lyons, for example, is an intern who took on extra responsibility and shaped her own role with LeBlanc so she could intern at the Occupational Health office on Marston Street. That office is keeping her busy, Lyons said.
“I just helped update the ‘Return to Work’ COVID policy,” Lyons said. She also works in the EC and on the H4 and R4 patient floors as needed.
Other interns are placed in pediatrics and the special care nursery, among other locations, LeBlanc said. Students who show initiative can be placed in locations that match well with their skills and interests.
Several interns, including DiLello, prefer to split their week up and work in several departments.
So far this semester, she has assisted on a surgical unit helping to put charts together and on a med-surg floor, R4, assisting nurses and stocking items. “I think it’s good to get experience in different places to see what you like best,” she said.
Moran seems to have found her home in the Emergency Center. “I answer call lights, help restock rooms,” she said. “I like fast-paced environments.”
Indeed, LeBlanc said Moran is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand.
“I just loved it one day when I went to the EC and Julie was standing at the nurse’s station: She was ready for whenever someone needed help,” LeBlanc said. “That’s what I want to see: Instead of deciding to take a break thinking no one needed her, she stayed right there and is always available.”
LeBlanc is currently accepting applications for summer internships, as well as for volunteer positions.
Applications can be found online. More information is available by calling Volunteer Services at 978-683-4000, ext. 2645.