Elizabeth Deck, a volunteer coordinator for St. Luke’s Hospital, works diligently to ensure Health Sciences students at Warren County Technical School (WCTS) find opportunities to learn more about their healthcare interests. Deck’s genuine commitment to helping students chart a path to a future in healthcare, paired with the hospital’s openness to hosting students for career exploration and training, earned Deck and St. Luke’s the 2024 Business Partner of the Year honor from WCTS.
Since 2021, Deck has visited the Health Sciences students to present volunteer and co-op positions available at St Luke’s Hospital – Warren Campus in Phillipsburg, N.J. The co-op positions welcome students for more structured cooperative, on-the-job learning. Deck presents these opportunities to students as early as their freshman year, helping them plan for four years of meaningful learning.
Over the years, seven Health Sciences students have volunteered, nine have chosen a co-op, and four program graduates continue to work at the hospital. Of the four working at the hospital, two work on patient floors, one in the emergency department and one for a physician’s office.
“Liz Deck has been instrumental in making our partnership with St. Luke’s successful,” said Lana Shanahan, a Health Sciences instructor at WCTS. “The hands-on, real-world experience provided from the volunteer-level to the co-op opportunities is invaluable. Students are exposed to healthcare career opportunities that they may not have considered before.”
Students in the WCTS Health Sciences program have the opportunity to volunteer at St. Luke’s beginning at age 14. Starting in January of their junior year, they can work 20 hours a week in a paid co-op position at St. Luke’s. There are positions available on patient floors, physicians’ offices, urgent care, radiology and laboratory services.
In addition to providing students with valuable, real-world insight and hands-on learning, the experiences also open doors for students to continue working at the hospital after graduating high school.
Deck not only provides information to students about applying to the programs, but she also takes great care in matching the students with the healthcare employees who will be mentoring them based on students’ areas of interest. She then coordinates students’ training schedules.
“Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to work with the students and help them to grow as future healthcare workers,” said Deck of her involvement with WCTS.
