February 15, 2008

Me and my shadow

Much like the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, several MGH and Partners HealthCare employees were met on the morning of Feb. 1 by their "shadows." These staff members volunteered for the MGH's annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day to give East Boston High School (EBHS) and Health Careers Academy (HCa) students firsthand experiences in their workplaces.

Sponsored by the MGH Community Benefit Program, the mid-winter hospital tradition offers EBHS and HCa students interested in learning about careers
at the MGH the opportunity to "shadow" hospital staff at work, ask questions and even assist the employee when appropriate. This year, MGH volunteers representing 44 departments took part in the program.

Pauline Donovan, Partners Information Systems analyst, volunteered to host an EBHS sophomore student for this year's event. "I love to see the kids learn about the work world," she says. "They are very eager to learn, and they have so much
energy that it's contagious. Even though it's just one day I think this job shadow day is such a great program to show the students how people work and what they do."

For more information about MGH's high school partnership programs, call (617) 724-8326.