Business AfterSchool program inspires students

Georgetown University projects there will be more than two million jobs added to the health care industry by 2020. This inspired a group of Lind-Ritzville High School (LRHS) students to seek out opportunities in the field.

On Thursday, March 24, a group of LRHS students and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Club advisor Jason Aldrich set out on a field trip through Greater Spokane Incorporated’s Business AfterSchool program to tour St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane.

All six students that attended the trip, Raeann Hoeft, Tessa Jantz, Erica Leffel, Claire Roettger, Ashlyn Juarez and Tara Tellefson, had prior interest in health care.

Visiting St. Luke’s helped them to connect their interests with real world applications.

This is precisely the goal of the Business AfterSchool program.

Greater Spokane Incorporated explains, “Business AfterSchool is a series of industry week workshops for students, educators, parents and community organizations that provide on-site awareness of Spokane’s high-demand industries highlighting new technology, research, development and innovation.”

Through different themed weeks throughout the year including manufacturing, engineering, health care, and computer science, Greater Spokane Incorporated works to connect “students to the world of business”.

In February, a different group of LRHS students attended an engineering Business AfterSchool session in which they visited a Stantec office in Spokane.

Regarding the benefits of the program, Aldrich explained, “Kids get to meet real people doing real life work.”

“I think kids like to move past the theoretical world of school and see how [everything] they are learning in school is actually applied,” he added.

There were four host businesses for Greater Spokane Incorporated’s Health Care Week: Washington State University-Spokane Health Sciences, Inland Northwest Health Services Paramedic Program, Carrington Colleges, Community Health Association of Spokane and St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute.

St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute is one of three freestanding rehabilitation hospitals in the state, and the only one to service the inland northwest. The low frequency of the institution type increases its size, scale and scope.

The field trip showed students applications of biotechnology and engineering.

According to their website, St. Luke’s specializes “in comprehensive inpatient and outpatient therapy sessions for children and adults and provide rehabilitation treatment for stroke, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic issues and brain injuries.”

“The trip was a great example how bioengineering and physical therapy overlap,” Aldrich said. “It’s exciting to see the new advancements in rehabilitation.”

He added, “From robotic mechanization to computer technology, it was amazing to see all the different career aspects.”

LRHS students in attendance not only gained knowledge but also inspiration from the opportunity.

Claire Roettger explained, “I learned about available jobs paths… There are tons of them out there you may not even know about.”

Tessa Jantz said, “What I learned going on my trip is how many different branches there are to health care and how many options I have in front of me. Seeing all the new inventive ways to help people gain back their strength inspired me to help people.”

Roettger added, “I was thinking about the health care path, but going to St. Luke’s really made me want to dive into the field more and see what it all has to offer.”

The resounding impact on the students encourages Aldrich to return to Business AfterSchool programs next year.

He concludes, “I will definitely consider going back again next year… We may look for a new business to tour as well.”

“I want to see change in those I help, like they see in their patients,” Jantz continued. “It helped lead me into believing my career choice is the right decision for me.”

Roettger concluded, “What impacted me was the stories about how the patients touched the doctors’ lives and vice versa. It was cool to see how the job isn’t a job for them, but a passion.”