Executive Handbook…

Medical Scholars Program

Policies & Procedures

A.         Overview:

     1.     Mission Statement:

We believe that early exposure to the medical field can inspire a lifelong passion for healing and service. Through our program, students gain firsthand experience in a variety of healthcare settings, observing medical procedures and shadowing professionals who are dedicated to making a difference in improving patients' lives.

     2.     Expectations:

          a.     Immersive Shadowing: Choose from a wide range of healthcare professions and shadow experienced practitioners in their daily work.

          b.     Mentorship: Receive guidance and support from medical professionals who are eager to share their knowledge and insights.

          c.     Skill Development: Learn essential skills such as patient interaction, medical terminology, and ethical considerations.

          d.     Networking Opportunities: Connect with other aspiring healthcare leaders and build valuable relationships.

     3.     Program Highlights:

          a.     Orientation: Attend an informative orientation session to learn about the     program, meet your mentors, and set your goals.

          b.     Flexible Scheduling: Use our online calendar to schedule shadowing experiences that fit your schedule and interests.

           c.     Diverse Experiences: Explore a variety of medical specialties, from primary care to surgery to radiology.

          d.     Reflection and Growth: Engage in reflective activities to deepen your understanding of the healthcare field and your role in it.

B.         Organizational Structure

     1.     Executive Committee: A core group of four physicians beginning with the founders will be charged with oversight of the organization. Physicians may be added or replaced as needed according to a majority decision of the Committee. Current members of this committee include Drs. Greg Warth (Chair), Andy Dickinson, Dan Dickinson and Deepak Talreja.

     2.     Coordinating Committee: This committee manages the day-to-day tasks including but not limited to scheduling using a digital Calendar, currently “Calendly,” maintaining order and smooth operation, providing help for students and faculty, serving as a contact point for the Program. Current members include Karen Richendollar as chair along with her assistant, Susan Milne and Dolores Reed. May include a medical student from EVMS.

     3.     Physician Recruiting Committee: One physician from each group (Primary Care, GI, Cardiology, Radiology, Ortho, Gen Surgery, GYN, ICU, ER, Hospitalists, EVMS, etc.) will be selected to recruit physicians from their respective groups to become preceptors, or “faculty” members. Each member will fill out a brief form indicating their contact information, availability and willingness to participate. Members will be added to the list of available physicians and placed on the Calendar according to their availability. A list of these participating physicians with their credentials, contact information, etc. will be sent to each of the participating schools.

     4.     School Committee: One person from each school will be chosen by the school to be their “School Coordinator.” They will be in charge of the students in their respective schools, helping them with scheduling and orientation, collection of student documentation and essays, selection of which students will participate, discussions with parents when needed, and interacting with members of the Executive Committee and Coordinating Committee as necessary. Current members include John Craig (Norfolk Academy) and Kristen Johnson (Bayside). Other high schools, private and public, will be added later.

     5.     Administrative Committee: This will be made up of administrative individuals from Sentara, including SVBGH Administrator, or his/her designee, currently Mr. Boone, Medical Staff President or Vice President, currently Dr. Brennan and Dr. Span, and Director of Nursing or designee. This Committee will oversee the Coordinating Committee, provide input to the organization on medico-legal issues, risk management, and overall operation.

C.         Student Orientation

     1.     Students who wish to participate will fill out an application to become a “Volunteer” at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital (SVBGH). This includes HIPPA regulations and requires a parent’s signature to permit any student to participate in this program. Students will then complete an essay on why they wish to be selected. Karen Richendollar and Susan Milne in the Education Office at Sentara can provide the forms required and assist with this process. This should be done before December 31 each year if possible, especially for Bayside. Norfolk Academy can be done in January or February, since they won’t start shadowing until the summer.

     2.     Students will then be selected by school officials according to GPA, personal scores and essay results.

     3.     Orientation Day: Selected students will come to SVBGH, approximately 24 at a time and meet in the Health Education Center or one of the other conference rooms (TBD). Orientation Days will be scheduled in January of each year and orchestrated by the Coordinating Committee. Parents may accompany the students if they wish during the first part of the orientation until they are split up into groups for the hospital tour. At that time, parents can meet separately with one or more members of the Coordinating Committee, Nursing, and/or Administrators to answer any questions they might have.

          a.     Physicians will give talks on 1. “Why Be a Physician?” and 2. “The Road to Medical School.”

          b.     Nursing will talk about 1. Sterilization Techniques, 2. Patient Privacy, 3. Hand washing, 4. Gowning up for Procedures or for Isolation Rooms.

          c.     EMT will give a presentation on 1.CPR, 2. Stop the Bleeding, 3. How to take vital signs. 4. Basic first aid.

          d.     Then students will be split into 4 groups of 6 each for a tour of the hospital. Each group will then be escorted to four different areas of the hospital including 1. Endoscopy, 2. Operating Rooms, 3. Radiology, and 4. Cardiac Cath Lab. After ~ 15 minutes in each area, the groups will be rotated to the different areas until all have been seen. The Emergency Room and/or Intensive Care Unit may also be included if time allows.

          e.     After lunch, students will go to Occupational Health and receive a TB skin test (Intermediate PPD), and any immunizations they might need.

          f.      Then students will be escorted to the Security Room near the ER to have their picture taken to be put on a badge that they must wear whenever they are in the hospital or medical office.

          g.     Schools will be responsible for supplying a white coat for each student.

          h.     After completion of Orientation Day, students may begin selecting various rotations with the different outpatient offices or inpatient hospital areas depending on availability as shown on the digital calendar on the website.

          i.      Each student will be expected to do at least 5 of these rotations over the next 5 months.

          j.      After each session, students must write up a report on what they experienced, what they learned, whether they felt the experience was worth it, and if they have any suggestions for improvement.

          k.     We will arrange for several orientation days in January of each year to accommodate all the students.

     4.     Student safety will be a top priority. There will be supervision by office or hospital personnel at all times. If any student illness occurs while observing or shadowing, the student may have to be escorted to the Emergency Room for evaluation and treatment if necessary. Fainting is not uncommon when students are first exposed to certain procedures.

     5.     Students who complete the program will receive certificates of accomplishment and a reference letter to be used for application to colleges of their choice.

D.         Faculty Orientation

     1.     Those physicians who wish to participate will meet with one or more members of the Recruiting Committee to discuss the program and their role as preceptors.

     2.     Preceptors, as mentioned above, will provide documentation of their contact information and their availability.

     3.     In-patient preceptors in each area will work as a group. For example, in the Cardiac Cath lab, if one particular physician is not available, students can observe other doctors in their field doing the procedure that they signed up to see. The same with Hospitalists, Endoscopies, etc. This avoids problems with cancellations if the particular physician they signed up for is not available. This can occur in the outpatient setting as well.

     4.     Out-patient physicians may allow other providers or office personnel in the same office to work with students as well, such as physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, phlebotomists, x-ray and ultrasound technicians, EKG technicians, etc.

     5.     Patient permission must be obtained before interacting with students.

     6.     With permission from the schools, any participating physician, NP or PA may go to the school(s) to provide an educational lecture to a class or a group of students.

     7.     In addition to demonstrating what their days are like to students, providers should also be role models for professionalism and good bedside manner.

     8.     Any medical education provided to students should be in terms they can understand.

     9.     Each preceptor will receive a certificate of appreciation for their voluntary participation in the program

E.         Professors

     1.     “Professors” will be selected from mostly older or retired physicians who wish to participate in the Program.

     2.     “Professors” may escort groups of students to various parts of the hospital for inpatient rotations. They can provide information on what they are observing and help to answer any questions the students may have. The same goes for outpatient rotations as well.

     3.     The presence of a “professor” is optional. If faculty members are too busy to spend much time with the students, they can request a “professor” to be there for that purpose. If the faculty physician prefers not to have a professor in attendance, that would be their option.

     4.     Again, “professors” should be role models in professionalism and bedside manner and not hesitate to talk about these things. When providing education, be sure to use terms students can understand.

F.   Scheduling

     1.     A new list of participating students and physicians will be created every year. Once the lists have been verified and completed and after orientation is completed, the availability of both the inpatient areas and outpatient offices will be shown on the digital calendar.

     2.     After those availability entries are completed, the students can make their own entries inside those available spaces.

     3.     Scheduling and maintenance of the Calendar will be overseen by the Coordinating Committee with Susan Milne as the contact person. Close communication will be required among the Coordinating Committee, the physician offices and the schools to maintain accuracy.

     4.     Problems with scheduling should be reported to the Executive Committee and Administrative Committee. Assistance from IT (information Technology) may be required.

G.        Future Expansion

     1.     EVMS Rotation to start in 2026

          a.     Get the initial program up and running smoothly before starting an EVMS rotation.

          b.     This may involve conferences, lectures and the use of “standardized patients.”

          c.     Learn how to suture, draw blood.

          d.     Cadaver Lab.

          e.     Shadow Residents and/or Medical Students.

     2.     Add rotation for Norfolk Heart Hospital.

     3.     Add more schools, public and private.

     4.     Add more outpatient offices, clinics, urgent care centers.

     5.     Include more hospitals gradually – SPAH, SLMH, SNGH.

     6.     As the program expands, funding may be required for Sentara employees or school personnel who are involved in coordination and orientation. Sources may include:

          a.     Sentara Foundation

          b.     Krueger Foundation

          c.     Consider later development of 501(c)3 with ability to accept tax-deductible donations.

          d.     Consideration of student scholarships.