The Medical Center, Navicent Health is pleased to partner with Mount de Sales Academy for the Senior Transition Experience Program (STEP). The STEP course is an internship designed to permit highly qualified high school seniors the opportunity to explore career options.

“STEP is designed to be a truly rigorous course, and will benefit students interested in pursuing a career in medicine or healthcare. Students participating in STEP will spend one day per week shadowing a mentor at The Medical Center and will also complete required reading and written assignments as they learn about the various careers in healthcare,” said Mary Pat Dadisman, Assistant Head of School and Dean of Students at Mount de Sales Academy.

The internship will take place during the spring semester of the students’ senior year, and be listed on their transcripts as “Introduction to General Medicine/Health Care.” The program, however, will go one step farther. 

“STEP students will be challenged to go beyond basic healthcare. Mount de Sales students will have the opportunity to participate in Navicent Health’s Lean/Six Sigma training classes and will receive training that will be useful in any business – they will learn how we improve care processes and reduce expenses while growing revenue and managing resources,” said Dr. Steve Mayfield, Chief Quality Officer for Navicent Health.

Navicent Health implemented Lean/Six Sigma, a highly disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating waste, improving outcomes, while delivering extraordinary service, last year. After completing the course, students will shadow a Navicent Health Lean/Six Sigma black belt and experience his or her daily routine. The black belt will serve as a mentor as the students explore the various fields of healthcare. At the conclusion of the program, the mentors will help the students choose topics for a research paper on a medical topic. Students will also be required to complete a two page opinion essay on a bio-ethics topic.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to guide these extraordinary students as they make decisions about their careers and higher education. We desire to be a valuable resource for these students, and we are pleased that Mount de Sales Academy has provided The Medical Center, Navicent Health with this opportunity,” said Dr. Ninfa Saunders, President and CEO of Navicent Health.