|
FOCUS:
DURAUN AT SENTARA WILLIAMSBURG REGIONAL MEDICAL
CENTER
From Don West, director of support
operations, Sentara Williamsburg Regional
Medical Center
West
commented that the hospital managers were
reserved about volunteering to help with the
program at first.
While
only a few managers supported the idea in
the beginning, after the first semester,
there was a waiting list of managers who
wanted to work with the students. West said
the students were all outstanding and became
a part of the Sentara family:
‘We realized
that we had jobs for them! Sentara hired the
majority of the students and they are
excelling!
In reality,
some of the students are outperforming some
of our employees.
Being very
selfish, I am looking forward to the 2012
class because I will be trying to fill any
opening I have in my departments with the
students. They have proven that they are
outstanding and just want an opportunity to
"shine."
DuRaun
is a young
man who has a specific learning disability.
He earned a
special diploma from Williamsburg - James
City County Public Schools. He started the
SEARCH program in September 2010. His
initial nine-week internship was as an
out-patient rehab tech, where he assisted
the therapists with patients. He helped them
with exercise in the rehab room and in the
pool, checked temperature gauges on
equipment and cleaned the equipment.
DuRaun
has always been a very shy and quiet
young man. During this rotation, he became
more assertive, as evidenced by his
willingness to get into the pool to help
patients, particularly notable because he
could not even swim.
DuRaun
was hired after his second rotation in
environmental services as a floor
technician, where he now earns $10.35 per
hour working 40 hours per week with full
benefits. In fact, he requested the night
shift and has been doing so well that they
moved him to the emergency room floor. When
I asked his supervisor how he was doing, he
stated, “I wish I had one hundred more
employees just like him”.
The
confidence and maturity that
DuRaun
gained from participating in the
Project SEARCH program is somewhat
remarkable. He went from being almost timid
to now being a model employee.
As a result of
DuRaun’s
success, he demonstrated to the
hospital team that people with disabilities
are productive, worthy of being valued
employees.
Virginia Department of Rehabilitation
Services
|
