June 25, 2014
West Columbia, S.C. – For the 24th consecutive year, Lexington Medical Center is welcoming some of the best and brightest high school students from Lexington County to experience the “Partners Program,” a summer internship that offers an excellent glimpse of careers in the health care industry.
During a three-week session, students will rotate through three clinical areas in the mornings. In addition, they will participate in hands-on activities two days a week at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, Midlands Technical College and Lexington Medical Center Extended Care. Students will also tour the hospital’s lab, view a virtual surgery and participate in a team-building activity.
Supported by Lexington Medical Center Foundation, the Safety Council of South Carolinaand Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, this year’s Partners Program received more than 100 applications. At the end of the program, a rising senior from each Lexington County high school and one rising senior from home/private schools will be awarded a $1,000 book scholarship for their freshman year of college.
The Partners Program continues to be a popular program with Lexington County students and LMC staff. In fact, several hospital employees participated in the program when they attended high school. Jon Bridges, associate director in the Physician Network, is one of those employees.
“The Partners Program gave me an early opportunity to learn about health care in our area. As a result, I realized that I wanted to seek further hands-on exposure to determine if health care was a good, long-term fit for me,” Bridges said.
Congratulations 2014 Partners Program Participants:
Brittany Redmond, Airport High School
Taylor Leigh Sofaly, Airport High School
Hanna Tanner, Airport High School
Hollie Powell, Brookland Cayce High School
Shelby Staton, Brookland Cayce High School
Andrew “Jordan” Eidson, Batesburg Leesville High School
Rachel Marie Gibson, Batesburg Leesville High School
Mary “Britt” Taylor, Batesburg Leesville High School
Chloe Bagley, Chapin High School
Hannah Booth, Chapin High School
Bailey Rodgers, Chapin High School
Anna Elise Scott, Chapin High School
Ipsita Pradhan, Dutch Fork High School
Kay Rojas, Dutch Fork High School
Kayla Shine, Dutch Fork High School
Kathryn Pitts, Gilbert High School
Allison Raitt, Gilbert High School
Ayan Dasgupta, Hammond
Hannah Goude, Homeschool
Abigail Unthank, Homeschool
Jaynie Buford, Irmo High School
Neha Malhotra, Irmo High School
Laura Nelson, Irmo High School
Elizabeth Tesh, Irmo High School
Kelsey Barnes, Lexington High School
Brelyn Burkett, Lexington High School
Madison Coffing, Lexington High School
Danielle Johnson, Lexington High School
Rebecca Jordan, Lexington High School
Hannah Melson, Lexington High School
Alexis Neeley, Lexington High School
Celine Peksenar, Lexington High School
Emily Scircle, Lexington High School
Catherine Shirer, Lexington High School
Jacob “Jake” Vining, Lexington High School
Lauren Williams, Lexington High School
Brittany Dorroh, Pelion High School
Kayla Ingle, Pelion High School
Jessica Lee Padgett, Pelion High School
Emily Beasley, River Bluff High School
Ellie Chao, River Bluff High School
Veronica Chiu, River Bluff High School
Haley Darnell, River Bluff High School
Stephanie Fernandez, River Bluff High School
Caroline Gable, River Bluff High School
Andrew Griffin, River Bluff High School
Thaddeus Holiday, River Bluff High School
Shivani Kapur, River Bluff High School
Graeson Kiser, River Bluff High School
Sarah Elizabeth Moore, River Bluff High School
Pranav Patel, River Bluff High School
Blaire Rikard, River Bluff High School
Jessica “Savannah” Smith, River Bluff High School
Levi Wright, River Bluff High School
Emily Turner, Spring Hill High School
Gabrielle Browning, White Knoll High School
Mikayla Nelson, White Knoll High School
Branly Sandoval, White Knoll High School
Jessica “Jessie” Tew, White Knoll High School
Breanna Tindal, White Knoll High School
Lauren Walters, White Knoll High School
Lexington Medical Center is a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 8,000 health care professionals. The hospital is ranked best hospital in the Columbia Metro and #2 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report and was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. Lexington Medical Cancer Center is an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence and has a clinical research and education affiliation with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina's first HeartCARE Center. The network also has an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer's care center and more than 70 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 100,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies.
