NEWS

By DEBORAH A. HANSON
N.C. Health Careers Access Program

CHAPEL HILL -- Tiffany Shearn was only 10 years old when she witnessed her grandmother suffer a massive heart attack on her front porch. The experience changed her life.

"I have asked myself over and over, if I knew what to do, could I have been the one to save her?" said Shearn. "Now instead of wondering what I may have done, I am preparing for what I soon will be able to do."

Shearn, a sophomore biology major at Elizabeth City State University, is well on her way to becoming a physician. She has planned well. Long before she entered Elizabeth City State, she secured a solid foundation in the sciences by enrolling in the toughest available courses in high school, including advanced chemistry and two allied health courses.

But that wasn’t enough. While many of her classmates hung out or roamed the mall, Shearn started to apply her book knowledge to real-world health care. She volunteered at Guardian Care Rest Home and Roanoke Chowan hospital in Ahoskie, N.C., taking patients’ vital signs, making beds, cleaning catheters, feeding patients and giving general care.

"Interning while in high school was one of the most rewarding experiences I have to date," she said. "Medicine is the path I am choosing to assist others, and I want to do that well."

Shearn is not alone in her quest to find a fulfilling career in health care. She and 20 other pre-health students from 10 North Carolina colleges and universities and one out-of-state institution are spending most of their summer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill learning what it takes to become a health professional in the ever-changing and challenging world of science.

Sponsored by the N.C. Health Careers Access Program at UNC-CH, the Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) program helps prepare minority and educationally and economically disadvantaged students for the rigors of health-related graduate and professional training programs.

The SEP program is tough; its intent to parallel both the pace of professional school and the volume of information to be absorbed. During eight weeks at UNC-CH, students engage in more than 150 contact hours of intense classroom instruction in physics, organic chemistry, human physiology, quantitative skills and biostatistics.

To help students learn the skills needed to absorb the vast quantities of information and to ready them for standardized testing, the curriculum includes classes in reading speed and comprehension, as well as preparation for admission to various health professions schools and graduate degree programs.

SEP students are in class every day from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. with supplemental instruction offered twice weekly from 4 to 6 p.m.

"It’s difficult for some students to get used to the schedule," said Charles Collier Jr., program director. "The demanding schedule is truly a simulation of that all-important first year of professional school. After completing SEP, students know what to expect once they enter professional school. The experience is critical, because the first year of professional school is usually the most difficult, and learning time-management skills is one of the keys to successful matriculation."

Beyond academics, students learn the ins and outs of the admissions process, including the skills and abilities a student must possess to be considered a competitive applicant. Field trips to health facilities -- such as the Lineberger Cancer Research Institute at UNC-CH, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park and Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh -- expose students to a variety of career options, while giving them a chance to discuss their career interests with health-care professionals and biomedical scientists.

A trip to the UNC-CH School of Medicine’s gross anatomy lab gives students a first-hand look -- and smell -- of what lies ahead in the first year of professional school. During a recruitment conference, students talk one-on-one with representatives from health-professions schools across the United States -- a tremendous advantage for students who might not otherwise be exposed to such an opportunity.

Also, community health-care providers offer students an up-close-and-personal perspective on pertinent issues affecting the health-care industry.

Shearn isn’t the only student who entered the SEP program possessing an arsenal of health-related experience. Avia Mainor completed training as a certified nursing assistant, became certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and served as the trainer in her high school’s athletic department before entering UNC-CH as a biology major. Besides carrying a full course load at UNC-CH, Mainor has volunteered at UNC Hospitals in the physical therapy and surgical pathology departments and continues her service work with the March of Dimes.

"The spirit of volunteerism and the willingness to give back to the community is alive and well in this group," said Collier. "Nearly every student in the program has health-related volunteer or clinical experience. That tells me they’re serious about their career pursuits."

Leah Williamson is no exception. Before entering UNC-Greensboro in 1997 to study chemistry and mathematics, Williamson completed nearly 250 hours as a candy striper at Durham Regional Hospital and volunteered in the physical-therapy department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Durham.

"I know there are several steps that I must take, and many short term goals have to be reached, in order to become a doctor," Williamson said. "SEP is one of those steps."

Calvin Webster, a sophomore biology major at UNC-Pembroke, echoes Williamson’s sentiment.

"My mother has paranoid schizophrenia, which is regulated with medication, and my father was disabled during the Gulf War due to exposure to dangerous chemicals," Webster explained. "Their experiences motivate me to pursue health science. I have the dedication, work ethic and patience necessary to fulfill my goal of becoming a doctor. SEP is one step further on the road to my success."

The Science Enrichment Preparation program is unique in that it is open to students interested in all health professions. Although most students indicate an interest in medicine at the start of SEP, graduates of the program now are enrolled in schools of allied health, chiropractic, dentistry, allopathic and osteopathic medicine, optometry, podiatry and public health. Other students are enrolled in graduate programs in toxicology, epidemiology, health administration, gerontology, family and marriage therapy and mental health nursing.

Collier explained the reason behind the variety of career choices.

"Certainly the academic component of SEP is challenging and we want students to go back to their home institution and excel in their science and math courses, which they do," he said. "More important, participation in SEP helps students decide if becoming a physician is really what they want to do, or if their skills and talents can be best manifested in another health career, perhaps a career they haven’t yet explored or one they haven’t yet been exposed to. There are hundreds of health-career opportunities. By helping students evaluate their personal values and lifestyle preferences, and presenting them with a variety of career options, they are better equipped to make an informed choice."

Since 1979, more than 56 percent of SEP students have completed their education and training and are practicing in a health-care field. Another 24 percent are either enrolled in health professions training programs or are completing undergraduate prerequisites.

For more information on the SEP Program, write the N.C. Health Careers Access Program at UNC-CH, 301 Pittsboro St., Suite 351, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-8010 or call 919-966-2264. Or visit the World Wide Web site at www.unc.edu/~nchcap.

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SEP Program contact: Deb Hanson, 919-966-2264 or dhanson@email.unc.edu