SVMC, CCV extend technology externship program | The Bennington Banner

By Patricia LeBoeuf, Bennington Banner

BENNINGTON — In light of positive feedback and student interest, organizers will continue an information technology externship program involving Community College of Vermont and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

Seven students have participated in the eight-week program since it began in the fall of 2018.

When the program first started, it was connected to a specific course at CCV, “Introduction to Computer Science.” This semester, the program was opened to all students.

“We learned, I think, from the first round,” Nicole Stetson, associate academic dean at CCV, said of the change. “We thought this would be an interesting way to broaden the opportunity and make this more accessible to our students. We ended up with a nice mix.”

Students shadow four different domains of learning, each for two weeks. The domains encompass most functions within SVMC’s information systems department: telecommunications, network security, PC and desktop support and system administrator, said Gail Balch, director of information systems and clinical informatics at the medical center.

The hospital is one of the largest employers in Bennington, so it is invaluable for students to be able to see how information technology works in such an environment, and to meet staff, Stetson said.

“Regardless of where they are in their education, they can see the application of what they’re learning in college to a real, professional environment,” she said. “It’s been a real win-win, I think.”

The program aims to establish community partnership and a workforce that is able to achieve a career path that helps them stay in the community, and make a livable wage, Balch said.

“Every business is based on information technology,” she said. “There’s a lot of career opportunities.”

The program adds a lot for students, said Darcy Oakes, a coordinator of student advising at CCV.

Information technology students often have to pursue much of their coursework online, so having a hands-on, local experience in the field is really valuable, she said.

“And really this externship is so unique and exciting,” she said.

Namely, it allows students great flexibility, with two weeks of shadowing in each of the four domain areas that students can tailor to their needs.

“[For example], students could drop in just for one of those weeks,” she said. “Or for two of those weeks. The flexibility that [Balch] offers with this externship is really phenomenal.”

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The program is “more observation,” Balch said, as students don’t directly participate in any of the work.

Organizers plan to stick with the same domains of activity, she said.

“It’s been very successful, as far as student feedback goes,” she said. “The feedback that we got this past semester from the two students was that they really enjoyed every bit of it.”

Students who’ve participated hadn’t even thought about some areas of IT they encountered, she said.

“They don’t really understand, or are aware of, all the other aspects of information technology, as it supports a business,” Balch said. “This gives them the opportunity to see things they may not even have thought about.”

One of the students who participated is interested in both social work and computers, so it was valuable for them to be able to “connect the dots” in how information connects in healthcare, she said.

Cybersecurity in particular is popular with students, “and that is a really much-needed resource,” Balch said.

Healthcare also has very specific needs when it comes to cybersecurity, she said.

When people think of careers in healthcare, they first think of nursing, and other clinical positions.

“They also need to know that there’s other allied careers that support healthcare, and IT is one of the mainstream jobs here at the hospital,” Balch said of SVMC. “Without IT, nobody does anything.”

There are no open positions in SVMC’s 24-person information systems department currently, but people retire, and career mobility within the department creates openings for others, Balch said.

“They can also apply what they learn here in other businesses,” Balch said.

The next step would be to develop an internship program, where students could participate, perhaps over the summer, in a domain area of their choosing, she said.

“I think one of the things that we have to be careful of is that it’s a very popular [program],” Balch said. “We can only accommodate a couple of students. It’s really all that we can accommodate, because my staff really wants to make sure they have a good experience, and that they’re able to mentor them appropriately.”

Patricia LeBoeuf can be reached at [email protected], at @BAN_pleboeuf on Twitter and 802-447-7567, ext. 118.