Project SEARCH Education Initiative
The Project SEARCH program at Mission Hospital began in September 2007 with four special needs students from the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) Adult Transition program. The goal of the program is to provide the students with job skills that will allow them to obtain employment after graduation. The students were placed in a year-long internship with several Mission Hospital departments including Central Supply, Nutritional Care Services, Material Management, Human Resources, Community Benefit and Hospital Administration. In these positions, the students gained many new skills such as computer use, answering phones, filing, sorting mail, and stocking food and procedure carts for patients. The students also learned how to master the public transportation system to get to and from work.
Students were mentored by hospital personnel in each area along with a CUSD job coach. The job coaches and hospital leads worked together to develop skill acquisition plans for the students and provide support in learning new skills. Students in the program made tremendous growth and established friendships with their fellow co-workers. Parents and the teachers of students in the program commented on the change that they had seen in their students, as well.
At the end of the first year of the Mission Hospital/CUSD Project SEARCH program two students were hired in the areas of Hospital Administration and Nutritional Care Services. They have also started on their road to independence with one of the students moving into an apartment.
Mission Hospital and CUSD will be implementing phase two of the program starting in September 2008 with five new students.
