8/26/2005
Cultural Competency Workshops For Educationally and Economically Disadvantaged High School Students Planning Health Care Careers
Note to Editors: A 300 dpi Press Image is available on our Web site at http://www.bergen.edu/pr/cultural_competancy.jpg.
Picture Caption: (left to right) Bergen Community College Student Ambassador Sharock Jones leading Javier Gomez, 16, of Harp Academy, in Paterson through one of the training sessions.
Involving Fourteen Partner Institutions
According to ”Where’s the Diversity?,” feature article in the Fall 2003 Careers in Occupational Therapy, statistics indicate that minorities comprise only 10 percent of all Allied Health Care professionals in the nation and in the region. Without the necessary academic skills, local students are being denied opportunities to pursue rewarding careers in Allied Health.
The Bergen County Department of Planning and Economic Development also reports that the health care industry is the single largest employer in Bergen County. In Passaic County, the health care sector is the third largest. “We are facing a critical shortage of health care professionals in Bergen and Passaic Counties,” says Bergen Community College Professor Joan Verderame, who, with the help of educators and health care providers in the region, has designed a program to address those needs. As part of a collaborative effort intended to help urban high school students overcome barriers to entering and graduating from health profession programs, and to provide much needed health care professionals to the region, Bergen Community College partnered with thirteen institutions to invest in the effort to strengthen health care education opportunities for all students.
The project - supported, in part by a $775,607 award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration - addresses five high schools specifically identified as educationally and economically disadvantaged.
As part of the project, the Bergen and Passaic Community College recently offered a Cultural Competency Workshop for high school students planning health care careers, at Bergen’s Paramus campus.
The Cultural Competency Workshop marks the entry point of their summer internship at five hospitals in two counties, Bergen and Passaic. Project high school students were introduced to a campus wide multi-cultural training program that builds understanding and increases communication between members of the community.
Cultural competency training is conducted by Bergen Community College students who have been certified as Multicultural Workshop Retreat Leaders. Javier Gomez, 16, of Harp Academy, in Paterson felt the program taught him “to show respect toward others.” Javier has wanted to become a gastroenterologist ever since the fourth grade in order “to help others.” BCC Student Ambassador Sharock Jones praised his efforts. “Javier is compassionate and has the heart to become successful in a health care profession. His sincerity and his ability to express empathy towards others will serve him well in his future career,” he observed.
Project high school students were introduced to a campus wide multicultural training program that builds understanding and increases communication between members of their respective communities.
High school teachers and their students developed similar skills to carry back to their respective communities. The high school students assumed leadership roles during this program and have become active members of the Unity Collaboration and now work with other members of their high school communities to promote inter-group unity and have also become diversity advocates in their own schools working with others to initiate multicultural awareness.
Upon completion of the Cultural Competency Workshop, the students enrolled in the fifteen hour college-level course, “Introduction to Health Careers” at their respective colleges. Forty-nine Bergen County students took the one-credit course at Bergen (12 from Garfield High School, 18 from Hackensack High School, and 19 from Englewood High School). As part of the dual enrollment agreement, students will continue to take college-level courses at their high schools while they are completing the necessary coursework to earn their high school diplomas. As part of this program, students can earn up to 18 college credits prior to High School graduation.
This summer, students also attended mentorship programs at the participating hospitals, and during the school year, the College will provide additional support with speakers and “goal-oriented presentations” at the respective colleges and high schools. Students will also receive support as part of their membership in the Student Health Careers Clubs, facilitated by high school coordinators that work with the Grant Team.
What’s Next? On October 25, Bergen will be hosting a “Youth Healthy Expo,”-- provided through the effort of the Health Career Pathway grant, and the Partnership for Community Health -- which will provide health-career information sessions and networking opportunities for existing students in the program, as well as the incoming group of students slated to begin this exciting program.
Bergen Community College partners in the Health Careers Pathway Project are: Passaic County Community College, The Partnership for Community Health, Inc., The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Hackensack University Medical Center, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Barnert Hospital, Hackensack Public Schools, Garfield Public Schools, Passaic Public Schools, Paterson Public Schools, and Englewood High School and Health Science Academies.
Bergen Community College is a two-year college, enrolling more than 14,000 students in associate degree programs and certificate programs. Classes are offered days, evenings, and online. Information about the College is available at on this Web site or by phoning the Welcome Center at 201-447-7200.