Over the past seven years, patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, as well as staff and visitors, have benefitted from a variety of valuable services provided by sixth form students with special educational needs. The students have participated in an innovative initiative spearheaded by Fosse Way, the ‘outstanding’ special school in Radstock, in collaboration with the hospital, as well as Sirona Care and Health. While undertaking their duties at the RUH, the students have also been able to develop vital work-place skills, essential to success in today’s competitive job market.
‘Project Search’ as this ground-breaking venture is known, has its origins in the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was there in 1996 that Erin Riehle, director of the facility’s Emergency Department, had the compelling idea that since the hospital provided services for people with developmental disabilities, it should make a commitment to providing employment for young people in this sector. In particular, Erin was keen to discover whether it might be possible to provide training for such employees to take up roles involving complicated and systematic tasks, such as ensuring supply cabinets were correctly stocked. Since its successful launch in the Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, Project Search has opened at over three hundred locations across the United States, as well as Australia, Ireland, Scotland and England.
As Karen Parsons, the project’s co-ordinator at the Royal United, observes: “Project SEARCH equips the students with the specific and transferable skills required by employers, preparing them for work and to carry out their roles to the highest standard.”
A now familiar sight in their distinctive purple T-shirts, the students make an important contribution to a number of key areas. including the pharmacy, restaurant, outpatients and the Emergency department. As well as up to three internships at the hospital, the course enables students to pursue academic qualifications that will also help them to secure paid employment. Furthermore, the students receive expert coaching from both Fosse Way and Sirona Care and Health staff in writing eye-catching CVs, completing application forms and performing well in interviews.
So impressed have staff at the hospital been with the students over the years, that a growing number have succeeded in gaining salaried positions there on a permanent basis. One example is Andrew, who comments: “At Project SEARCH, I learned the important skills I needed to be able to get my job as a Patient Support Assistant at the Royal United Hospital. On the course, I learned how to communicate with and care for patients, which is a very important and a really enjoyable part of my job.” Meanwhile, Nigel Songhurst, Operating Theatres Orthopaedic Equipment Lead at the RUH, had this to say about the mutual benefits of the venture: “The Project SEARCH students we have hosted have really made a difference within theatres and are a valued addition to the department. It is rewarding for us as a department having someone so dedicated to their role, as well as it being rewarding for the Project SEARCH student in learning new skills.”
Eager to build on the success of Project Search at the Royal United, Karen Parsons is now looking ahead to the academic year beginning this September. Karen would welcome applications from any young people who will be entering Years 13 or 14 who have an EHC plan or a statement of special educational needs and are interested in a full-time internship. Parents are also invited to get in touch with Karen to find out more about what the project has to offer. Karen may be contacted at [email protected] or on 01225 824559