The next generation of healthcare professionals spent the summer at the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) as part of its Summer Student Internship programme. The 2019 internship programme began on June 1 and will have provided on-the-job training to 91 students by the time it concludes on September 15.

This year, the programme was revamped to provide select students with quality work experience that aligned with their interests and career aspirations. The programme was launched in April with an informational day where prospective interns learned of what medical, administrative and ancillary careers are available at the HSA. Then, applications were carefully screened before students were chosen and placed in the department best suited to their interests. Each placement ranged from four to ten weeks with work experiences in over 40 departments in both Grand Cayman and Faith Hospital in Cayman Brac,

“Collectively, the managers have been impressed by the work ethic of the participants in this year’s Summer Student Internship programme”, said Chief Human Resources Officer Samantha Bennett. “They have adapted and excelled in our busy work environment, which shows promise for their future careers. It is our hope that they will progress through their studies and that the HSA will be their employer of choice when they are ready to permanently join the workforce.

One such student is Samantha Smellie. Now entering her third year of undergraduate study in Biomedical Science at Kings College London, Ms Smellie spent her internship as a part of the HSA Surgical Unit. “This is my third internship with the HSA, and I return each year because of the valuable clinical experience. As an aspiring physician, I think that working for the HSA would be very rewarding because I would be able to treat the members of the population that are most in need.”
 
The HSA’s summer internship is a long standing initiative created over ten years ago which has increased in popularity for many senior high school students, college and university students. Interns have the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience within the healthcare industry and are able to explore different career paths, and make valuable connections while participating within this paid internship.

The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority is the largest government statutory authority employing nearly 900 staff locally.

For more information on the HSA Summer Student Internship Programme and employment opportunities visit www.hsa.ky.