WVU Hospitals welcomes first cohort of MedEd interns to campus

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Hospitals welcomed its first cohort of MedEd Program interns to campus on Oct. 2 and 5. The two-year program uses a work-based learning approach placing students in the workplace during the school day and includes a curriculum that combines technical and professional skills. 

“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” Colleen Sybert, WVU Hospitals vice president of Human Resources, said. “These interns will learn directly from professionals in the medical field and get a jumpstart on their careers. We’re excited to see them learn and grow through this experience.”

The program is a collaboration between WVU Medicine, Monongalia County Schools, the Education Alliance, Monongalia Technical Education Center, and the West Virginia Department of Education. 

The interns from University High School are Jayden Bailey, Emma Chance, Earl Costello, Jacksen Funk, Abigail Hess, Mylee Hoopengarner, Breanne Mayor, Connor Warnick, and Mia White. 

The interns from Morgantown High School are Mersedez Braun, Mandy Chen, Ashlee Cheng, Laura Gregory, Layne Hamrick, Elliot Henry, Kyree Kennedy, Sierra Lingo, Layce McDonald, Chloe Nicholson, Maxwell Plum, Bailey Posey, Houston Smith, and Eliana Thornton.

The interns will work as ambulatory care assistants and sterile processing technicians. They will be assigned mentors to guide them as they learn about navigating a professional workplace and a healthcare environment.

“This internship is an opportunity to set the trajectory of their lives and careers,” Sybert said. “We are fostering the next generation of healthcare professionals and helping them gain important skills they can use, whether they choose to continue with our organization or take a different path.”

The MedEd Program is open to incoming juniors at University High School and Morgantown High School. Students can earn Career and Technical Education credits towards the Therapeutic Services pathway, can participate in a paid internship during the second semester of their senior year, and may be offered jobs at WVU Medicine upon graduation.

The WVU Medicine MedEd Program is also available in the Eastern Panhandle for juniors and seniors at Jefferson High School and Washington High School in Jefferson County, as a collaboration between WVU Medicine, the Education Alliance, Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, and Jefferson County Schools. This program was made possible through funding received from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Education Alliance.

For more information on the MedEd Program, visit WVUMedicine.org/Info/MedEd. To see current job openings at WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org/Careers.