Program opens medical world to students

LIBERTYVILLE – “You guys wanna see some gross pictures?”

That was the question Dr. William Watson asked this year’s group of Penwasciz (pronounced pen-wa-zi) students before diving into a slide-show presentation featuring photos of bad burns, serious stab wounds and an array of other jaw-dropping injuries.

For those enrolled in the Penwasciz program, the presentation shed light on what it’s really like to work in the trauma center of a hospital.

The informational session was just one of many medical-related activities the students have taken part in.

“I do this to get the juices flowing because I have the best job in the world,” Watson said of his second annual presentation to the Penwasciz group. “It gives students a little bit of insight about the inner workings of a hospital.”

Now in its 56th year, the Penwasciz program at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville is designed to provide participants with practical, hands-on experience in a real health-care environment.

High school juniors and seniors from Lake County are eligible to join the program, which currently is supervised by registered nurse Patty Burke.

Burke said the Penwasciz program was invaluable when it came to educating young people about health-care careers – in fact, many Penwasciz graduates have gone on to work in some aspect of health care, she said.

“Kids basically say they love it,” she said. “It helps open their eyes as to what’s in the medical field.”

Students in this year’s Penwasciz program meet once a week at Advocate Condell and work in various areas of the hospital, including physical therapy, radiology and the emergency department.

Libertyville High School senior Jenny Prochotsky said she joined the program because she was interested in pursuing a career in health care.

Learning more about medicine and science could help solidify those plans, she said.

“I want to be an occupational therapist when I grow up, and I thought this would be a great way to see if this is what I want to do,” she said, adding that one of her more memorable Penwasciz moments was watching a mother give birth to a child.

“I was there for the labor,” she said. “It was amazing. I cried.”

Also in the program this year is Lake Zurich High School senior Halie Krause.

Krause’s interest in health care was sparked by several members of her family.

“I’ve always wanted to go into the nursing field,” she said. “My mom’s a nurse, and my uncle’s an ER (emergency room doctor).”

Aspiring nurses enrolled in Penwasciz classes might look to a past graduate of the program for inspiration.
Emily Bergmann was one of the very first Penwasciz participants, and she just retired from Advocate Condell after working in the medical field for more than 50 years.

Though she also worked for other medical centers, Bergmann’s first health-care job was as a surgical nurse at Condell. She also is a former coordinator of the Penwasciz program.

“I’ve loved everything I’ve ever done, and it was all because of the Penwasciz experience,” she said. “Some people have come and gone, but there are many people at Condell who were Penwascizs.”

Those who complete the Penwasciz program are eligible to receive scholarships. This year’s program began in October. It will end May 3.