| Rieman
to attend leadership forum
Conner Rieman, Prairie High School senior, will attend a National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine from June 28 to July 7 in Boston.  The
NYLF/MED sessions introduce scholars to concepts in public health, medical
ethics, research and general practice. The participants will make
site visits to medical facilities, job shadow health care personnel and
engage in a simulation where they diagnose and develop a treatment plan
for a fictional patient.
“NYLF is a forum where kids from all around the nation come together to explore their interest in the healthcare field. They get a chance to see what it is really like to be a medical student, doctor, surgeon, etc.,” said Rieman. “I was chosen because of my academic achievements and my interest in medicine.” Rieman job shadowed Dr. Andy Jones and attended a procedure with Dr. Ron Sigler at St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics. He is president of the PHS chapter of Health Occupations Students of America and placed third out of over 50 competitors in the Medical Terminology challenge at the HOSA state competition in Boise earlier this year. His bowl team placed first. Rieman has also completed his Certified Nursing Assistance Training and will fill in as a CNA at SMHC this summer. “I have two lawn mowing jobs and I will umpire baseball in the evening to make money for the forum. I am hoping to also help people with odd jobs around their house or work in other ways to help pay for my costs,” said Rieman. “I had the opportunity to watch Dr. Jones while he performed surgeries, which was an amazing experience. In addition, I was able to observe Dr. Sigler. That, too, reinforced my desire to become a doctor or surgeon in the future.” SMHC is helping Rieman find ways to defray the cost of the NYLF/Medicine forum. The SMHC employee PAC committee also donated $100. Those funds are generated through vending machine sales. He has also received a $300 Safe and Drug Free Schools Scholarship. SMHC forwarded his information to Mary Sheridan, State Office of Rural Health, who arranged for a $500 Health Workforce mini grant. “We’re happy to be able to provide support to develop St. Mary’s workforce-in-training. It’s exciting to see young leaders from one of the most rural parts of our state reaching out for national opportunities,” said Sheridan. “We wish Conner well in his endeavors.” The cost of the ten day forum is $3500. Forum sessions take place in eight cities throughout the United States and over 100,000 students have been served by NYLF. In a note to Conner following his job shadow at SMHC, Kathy Seubert, RN, said ”I want to encourage you to pursue a career in health care because I see you have a kind and compassionate heart.” Her sentiments were echoed by Pat Forsmann, Coordinator, surgical and outpatient scheduling. “Conner would be a very good fit in the medical field. He was very interested and engaged with his experiences in our procedure room and surgical suite. It would be wonderful if Conner some day decided to return to Cottonwood to practice medicine.” Rieman is the son of Michele Byers and Cliff Rieman, both of Cottonwood. Anyone interested in contacting Rieman about lawn mowing or other odd jobs can reach him at 962-3741. |
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