Oak Ridge High School prepares students for nursing careers
The dual-enrollment Clinical Internship class of 2025 poses for a photo.
ORHS includes health sciences classes, and up to 15 students per year who’ve taken them can enter a dual enrollment internship program.
After even more training, they begin work based learning at sites around the Oak Ridge Community, including not just Methodist Medical Center but also nursing homes, assisted living facilities, local pharmacies, physical therapy clinics, dental offices, chiropractic offices, eye centers, hearing centers and veterinarians among others.
Sonya Minarik, ORHS’s Health Science Instructor said ORHS began the program about 15 years ago. She said the school selects the intern students through a process of application, interviewing and collaborating with counselors, administrators and other teachers to determine the students most capable of being a positive reflection of the Health Science Academy.
“I love these students,” Minarik said. “They become my ‘other kids.’ Their graduation day is one of the happiest, and saddest, days of the year. They grow, they mature, they ‘become,’ they lead, they love, they connect. They make me so proud. Anyone who knows me knows that the bond with the students is my absolute favorite. I also feel honored when they ‘come home’ to visit and catch up. Frequently, the bond sticks long after high school graduation.
“Oak Ridge High School has a reputation like no other in East Tennessee; we are very fortunate to have so many willing community affiliates who are not only willing, but anxious to participate in our partnership,” she added.
Oak Ridge Schools also features a nursing education course for one semester at ORHS that prepares students to gain skills and knowledge to become an entry level nurse. They take a Certified Nursing Assistant exam in December. If they pass the exam, they will obtain their CNA at that time.
“Our commitment is to walk with the students as they learn and grow and become empowered in healthcare,” Minarik said.
“This gives them an extreme advantage for life after high school, whether going directly into the workplace or to college. The teacher-student bond is truly my most favorite part of this.”
