Project SEARCH enables students to ‘go to the extreme’ with job opportunities

June 7, 2024

Pratyush Pol shared dinner and stories with his family and two mentors from ChristianaCare’s endoscopy department during a celebration of his time as an intern at Project SEARCH, a school-to-work program at ChristianaCare for young adults with disabilities.

Melissa MacMurray, BSN, RN, BS, PCCN, nurse manager of Endoscopy, said she has seen a transformation in trainees like Pol as they go through the program.

“They often come to us and are kind of quiet and unsure,” MacMurray said. “But halfway through their time you see such a change in their ability to perform the assigned tasks. Pratyush came to me wanting to do more, and he asked what else he could learn. When I see that courage and that mentality that they can do it, that positivity gives so much strength.”

Pratyush Pol was one of nine interns who celebrated their time with Project SEARCH at an event June 3 at the John H. Ammon Education Center.

Raising the bar

ChristianaCare has managed Project SEARCH since 2011 in partnership with Red Clay Consolidated School District in Delaware. The nine-month program is intended for young adults aged 18 to 22 with disabilities.

Interns participate in three rotations of three months each, said Samantha Manchester of the Red Clay School District. “At the end of the program, the goal is competitive employment.”

This year’s nine interns worked in departments including Environmental Services, the Mailroom, Institute for Learning, Leadership and Development (iLEAD), Textiles and the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.

ChristianaCare celebrated the Project SEARCH End of Year Ceremony with nine interns. This year’s interns included Matson Miller, Daniel Jones, Jordan Wyatt, Emma McMullen, Pratyush Pol, Paige Williams, Hayden Wyttenbach, Joshua Grant and Aleah Morgan.

“We are very lucky with ChristianaCare,” Manchester said. “We have great partners and very committed departments.”

Pol worked with one of his mentors, Philip Curtis, RN, an endoscopy staff nurse, in the department’s GI lab, assisting with cleaning bays and transporting patients. Curtis said they repeatedly raised the bar as Pol conquered the tasks they set him.

“I love this man,” Curtis said. “He was a lot of fun. He brought a lot of joy.”

Learning in a fast-paced environment

Emma McMullen enjoyed the fast-paced environment of Heart & Vascular Interventional Services (HVIS). Inspired by the nurses she encountered – and her mother, a nurse – she applied for the Patient Care Tech Residency program at ChristianaCare.

Project SEARCH intern Emma McMullen enjoyed the fast-paced environment of Heart & Vascular Interventional Services (HVIS).

“She has really done well in this environment,” Manchester said. “She is very friendly and easy to get along with. She has a real desire to go the distance.”

Build communication skills

Joshua Grant also loved his rotation at HVIS, where he alphabetized documents, assisted visitors and put together overnight packages.

“I enjoyed discharging patients from their rooms and taking them downstairs to their cars,” Grant said. “I enjoyed communicating with them, hanging out with them.”

Project SEARCH intern Joshua Grant enjoyed his time at HVIS. His mother, Paula, said the experience helped build his communication skills.

During downtime, Grant would ask if any of his colleagues needed help, always looking for something to do.

“I think it improved his communication skills,” said his mother, Paula Grant. “Most children, when you ask them questions, answer: ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘maybe.’ Now he can have a full conversation.

ChristianaCare has been organizing Project SEARCH since 2011.

Remember what’s important

Weldon Rembert, head of the Equipment Room, said he and his colleagues enjoyed their interactions with the trainees, laughing and having fun. They kept them busy, among other things, stocking isolation carts and patient care units.

“Project SEARCH helps us help them,” Rembert said. “We prepare them for the work environment, so it’s important that they know what they’re getting into before they walk out here.”

Hayden Wyttenbach shares his experiences as an intern at Project SEARCH during a party at the Ammon Education Center.

During the year-end ceremony, Red Clay School District Superintendent Dorrell Green wished the interns success in their future endeavors.

“We can learn so much from their resilience, their perseverance, their hard work, their dedication and the effort they put into learning a particular skill,” Green said. “We also take the opportunities presented to us for granted – and they don’t – so this is a constant reminder of what is important in life.”

Choose a favorite

After three rotations at Project SEARCH, Pol had to have a favorite, right? Maybe it was the one from the Endoscopy department?

“Uh, no,” Pol said as Curtis and MacMurray grinned to hide their laughter.

“My favorite was Textiles, because I got to work on the machines there.”