New Vision Medical Career Program

The New Vision Medical Career Program provides an exciting "new vision" of blended academic, experiential learning, and career education, targeting high school seniors with an interest in medical careers.

Offered cooperatively by Finger Lakes Health and the Finger Lakes Technical & Career Center (part of Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES) for component school districts, this program allows students to explore medical careers. Qualified high school students must apply in the winter of their junior year for the competitive selection process.

A Unique Model for Technical Education
The New Vision Medical program’s goal is to provide an interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunity to high school seniors interested in pursuing health careers. The classroom is located on the Geneva General Hospital campus allowing students to explore a full array of medical careers while gaining 150 hours of clinical experience, Acute Nurse Assistant training, Basic Life Support Certification and nine college credits (ENG101, ENG103, and SSC205).

Key Elements
Location: The classroom for New Vision Medical students is located on the campus of Geneva General Hospital at the hub of activities for the fields of study.

Interdisciplinary Approach: Students master Nursing Assistant competencies useful in a wide-range of careers that enable them to interact with patients and medical staff while on 24 clinical rotation sites. Rotation sites are arranged in 4, 6-week blocks of analogous units; Diagnostic, Acute Care, Unique Populations, and Surgical to enhance students’ understanding of patient/resident care, increase retention of clinical knowledge, and master system-based practices. Computer Based Learning modules introduce students to specific principles and medical-surgical disorders of human organ systems they are likely to observe while on rotation. Directed Experiences outline each rotation, providing a guide for students to be proactive about their learning opportunities. The hospital based interdisciplinary classroom approach allows students to study health sciences, English, government, and economics simultaneously and apply this practice-based learning throughout the 660 bed multi-institutional health system.

Program Coordination
The New Vision instructor, a qualified teacher provided by Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES, directs all student activities at the health system. In addition, s/he serves as a liaison to the home schools and organizes experiences with the health system personnel.

The health system has a designated staff member from the Community Services Department who works with the New Vision instructor to facilitate the student activities. The actual activity is supervised by the departmental mentor and/or medical professionals.

Clinical Opportunities
Pods of Learners are groups of New Vision Medical students assigned to four, six week blocks of analogous departments/units. Within each block is an ancillary service area and an elective rotation.

College Acceptance Highlights:
Accepted at >165 post-secondary institutions in 23 states; 3 Ivy League Universities, the U.S. Naval and Army Academies, and the following direct entry (accelerated) professional programs:

BS/MD Programs:	Physician Assistant Programs:	Pharmacy Programs:
SUNY Albany And	Rochester Institute of Technology	Albany College of Pharmacy
HWS and Upstate	Daemen College	Massachusetts Pharmacy
Cobleskill, Sienna and Upstate	Le Moyne College	Northeastern University
Siena College and Albany	St. Francis University	Physical Therapy (DPT)
North East Ohio Medical	Gannon College	Ithaca College
Union College and Albany	Hofstra University	Daemen College
Clarkson University and Upstate	King's College	SUNY Brockport and Upstate
SUNY ESF and Upstate	Marywood University	BSN (dozens of programs)
BS/DP Programs:	NY Institute of Technology	Sonography, RIT
LECOM and Affiliates	Seton Hill University	Radiology Technologist RIT & MCC

Career and Employment Outcomes: Graduates are practicing in the following areas:

Physicians (otolaryngology, internal medicine, obstetrics, colorectal surgeon, psychiatry, and pediatrics)

Physical Therapists	Nurses	Hospital Administrators	Biology Teachers
Nurse Practitioners	Dieticians	Laboratory Technologists	Occupational Therapists
Ultrasound Techs	Paramedics	Speech Pathologists	Medical Researchers
Pharmacists	Social Workers	Acupuncturists	Radiology Technologists
Cytotechnologist	Chemists	Chiropractors	Medical Sales Representatives
Physician Assistants	Lawyers	Respiratory Therapists	Pharmaceutical Researchers

Quotes from Alumni
"I expected simple observation-I received hands-on interaction. I expected student status-I received respect and professional status from my mentors in the hospital. I expected to form connections-I formed personal and professional relationships."

"I am now certain that I want to be a physician assistant!”

"This week was a growing experience...I learned to take responsibility for my own situation and I gained self-confidence in approaching professionals."

"...the whole way home the only thing I could think about was what an awesome senior year I'm having compared to the rest of my home school classmates."

"All the things I learned in AP Biology came back but with real importance..."

"One of the nurses…let me listen to their lungs…I could hear the crackling noises...I love being able to do hands-on work with the doctors and nurses."

"[The social worker]...gave me a packet of questions that I needed to ask a patient about his family and PMH [past medical history]... [She] was surprised at the amount of information I was able to get out of the patient."

"[A nurse] talked to me like I was an adult. We talked...about the endless possibilities of nursing. She made me excited to become a nurse."

"Looking back, I cannot believe how much I accomplished, not only academically, but personally..."

For more information about how to apply for the New Vision Medical Career Program, contact your guidance counselor or the Finger Lakes Technical & Career Center at 585-526-6412.