I had the unique opportunity to be a part of the COPE program as a Junior Health Scholar this school year. This program is offered as a part of the health sciences pathway. This program is offered at local hospitals like Tacoma General Hospital in different departments such as the med-surg unit, oncology, emergency department, postpartum, etc. The Junior Health Scholar program allows high school students like me who are between the ages of 16 and 17 to shadow a current Health Scholar or work independently in the patient care setting, dependent on site requirements. Junior Health Scholars observe how care delivery and administrative teams work together to deliver excellent care and explore whether a career in health care is right for them. Most individuals complete the program in nine months with a commitment of one 4-hour shift per week or two 2-hour shifts per week. For those looking to complete the program faster, they offer a six-month and three-month option. For sites that have an expanded scope of practice, these scholars will work independently alongside staff members to perform basic patient care, such as taking vitals and feeding patients.

To get into the COPE program, there are a few steps students must go through before being in the program. The first step is applying online, where they put information about themselves. After you fill that out, one of the program team members will reach out to set up a Zoom meeting. During this meeting, students will get asked basic questions about themselves, such as who they are and why they want to be in this program. They will also be asked what they would do in certain situations that will be described to them. After this meeting, students will be notified within 24 hours if they have been selected or not. Once that is completed, they will have access to a couple of online modules to learn about what you will be doing and different information that is important to be in this program. Once that is completed, an online test will be scheduled, which will be covering the information on the modules. Students who achieve 80 percent or higher will then schedule their in-person training, which will go over different practices they will be performing, such as taking vitals, wheeling a patient out, or feeding a patient. At the end of that training day, they will be tested on one of those skills. After you pass, they will get a uniform, which consists of a red polo and tan pants with a badge, and do a shadow shift where they will shift to a current scholar, and then you will be set to start the program.

I did the 9-month program, which involved being in three different departments. For the first three months I was in the med-surg unit, where I helped with taking vitals, feeding patients, helping with discharge by wheeling the patient out of the unit, and helping nurses organize and restock supplies. While on this unit, I learned a lot about communication and how to interact with different patients. Personally, this unit was my favorite, as there was always something to do, and the nurses were always so kind and willing to teach you different things.

The second three months I went to the oncology unit, which was a lot quieter. In this unit, one particular event that stuck out to me was when I had an interaction with a man named Tommy. He had cancer, and none of his family came to visit with him, so he was very lonely. With the skills I had learned in the med-surg unit, I decided to go and spend some time with him during one of my shifts, even scheduling another shift for the next day to see him again. While spending some time with him, he told me his whole life story and even sang me a song with tears in his eyes. He told me how much it meant to him that I had chosen to spend time with him. Meeting him and learning about his life story helped solidify my choice to become a nurse and showed me how one simple act of kindness can change someone’s day.

For my last 3 months, I decided to go back to the med-surg unit as I liked the fast pace. Coming back to this unit, I didn’t expect the nurses to remember my name. However, most of them did, as they had mentioned I had helped them out so much previously the first three months with vitals. Leaving this unit was so bittersweet, as it had taught me so much and made me want to be a med-surg nurse someday.

Doing this program really helped show me that nursing was for me. Looking back at my time in this program, my favorite part was getting to see the daily life of being a nurse. It’s so much different than just going to visit someone in a hospital. I got to see how different equipment works and learned so much about how to take vitals, what normal ranges are, and so much more.

After doing this program, I told my friend Emily about it since she was wanting to go into nursing. She then enrolled in the program and has just finished it. She also did the 9-month program where she spent time in the oncology unit, med-surg unit, and postpartum unit. She explained how her favorite part of COPE was the moments when she was able to give some patients the 1-on-1 care that their nurses did not have time to do because they were so busy, and her responsibilities were a lot more flexible. Emily said that COPE gave her an opportunity to explore the medical field in a more applied and practical sense compared to any other preparation she has done, including taking AP classes. She stated, “The best thing I learned was to be confident and take advantage of any opportunities you can get because you never know what could come from them.”

Overall, the program COPE is a great opportunity for students like me to explore the medical field and see if it’s something that they may want to do in the future. Our district even offers this program in the health pathway. If you join COPE, you can do vitals just like us, as pictured in the photos below. You’ll also have the chance to shadow professionals, gain hands-on experience, and learn valuable skills that will benefit you in your future career. Engaging in this program not only enhances your knowledge but also expands your network within the healthcare community.