Our Youth Mentoring Program at Maimonides Medical Center

The Union’s summer program for teens helps build professionalism, independence and a vision for the future. Established in 1991, the Youth Mentoring Program (YMP) is a project of the 1199SEIU League Labor Management Initiatives, Inc., and is administered by the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Fund. The program provides a six-week summer employment opportunity for the 15-to-17-year-old children of eligible 1199ers and introduces kids to career opportunities and vocational experiences in the healthcare industry. The program also supports the development of fundamental skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem solving. Teens are paid to work in 1199SEIU institutions where their parents are employed and are mentored by site supervisors and seasoned youth development specialists. For this feature, 1199 Magazine spent a day this summer with YMP participants at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

“ My daughter wants to be a cardiologist, so this is a great experience for her. It’s going to help her go into the world and become more independent.”

– Janet Walters patient care technician at Maimonides

1. Kaitlyn Matthews, 16, worked with operating room registrars this summer, helping Maimonides’ patients prepare for surgery. “I have always been interested in medicine and science,” said Matthews, who is entering her junior year of high school and planning to become an anesthesiologist.

3. Seventeen year- old Lachin Beginyazova (in blue) answers a call as she prepares for an oncoming shift of nurses and other staff on a medical-surgical unit. “I do a variety of things,” said Beginyazova. “Sometimes I deliver blood to the lab. I also go around and make sure identifying information on patients’ charts and rooms is correct.”

5. Jason Truong helped repair medical equipment in the hospital’s biomedical engineering department. “Jason is great. He comes and asks for work,” said his mentor Pamela Gottlieb. “The program is good for all the kids. It teaches them organization and structure.”

7. Michelle Cheung- Zheng, 17, spent her summer working in Maimonides’ Public Communications Dept., where she provided information to patients and their families.

9. Christopher Brown also spent his summer on a Maimonides medical surgical unit. “At first I was nervous about meeting expectations,” says Brown, who is planning to become a surgeon. “This made me think about shows like ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ There’s so much on those shows that’s [not like real life] and so much I didn’t know about the situations they portray.”

2. Jade Wallcott, dishes out nutritious meals in the hospital’s cafeteria.

4. Crystal Parmer helps put orders together in Maimonides’ pharmacy. This was the 16-year-old’s first time participating in the YMP. In addition to hands-on experience in the pharmacy, Crystal also helped with administrative and organizational tasks.

6. Janeel Rose, 16, spent her summer working in Maimonides’ Cardiology Department. “She wants to be a cardiologist, so this is a great experience for her. It’s going to help her go into the world and become more independent,” said Rose’s mother, Janet Walters, a patient care technician at Maimonides for 22 years.

8. Jaida Richa, 17, works with new dentist Zachary Cardito at Maimonides dental clinic to demonstrate proper brushing techniques. “This is a great opportunity,” said Richa, who is planning to become a dentist. “Not a lot of people get to do this kind of work in hospitals.”

10. Eliza Gonzales, 17, is heading into her senior year at the High School of Telecommunications. She spent her summer working in Maimonides’ blood bank.