Samaritan

Volunteering at Samaritan has given area students an amazing opportunity to meet with healthcare professionals and have unique experiences in the hospital. For many students, the time has helped them figure out what they want to do for their future career. Abigail Garcia spent her final rotation in the development and communications department and interviewed some of the student volunteers and Samaritan Professionals. Jelani Mann said that seeing a surgical procedure done with robotic assistance was especially memorable. He had been considering a career in dermatology, but this experience has made him more interested in surgery. He spent his last two days at Samaritan with the Human Resources team. Sharing what goes on behind the scenes in healthcare has been rewarding for Daicy Moreno, one of Samaritan’s HR professionals. She said that in HR, a good skill to have is attention to detail, communication, and being open to all personalities. During her time as a volunteer, Charity Volquardson enjoyed seeing the realities of healthcare. She learned that communication is a valuable skill for all the healthcare professionals to work together. She spent one of her rotations in speech therapy, where she helped assemble a special high chair for feeding infants. Pam Crawford is the charge nurse in the emergency department (ED). She said that having students is a great opportunity for them to learn what they want to do in the future. She explained that in the ED, they see everything from toe stubs to childbirth. “It can go from zero to 200 in a matter of seconds,” she said. Abigail said that a highlight of her volunteer experience was seeing how knowledge and skills she learned in school applies to careers at Samaritan. She also enjoyed taking apart laptops for repair during her time in IT. For future student volunteers, she recommends that staying engaged in order to have a rewarding experience. “Everyone is here to give you knowledge and they want you to ask questions,” she said. To learn more about volunteering at Samaritan, go to https://lnkd.in/g4fJkq2U #WeAreSamaritan

Kamila Lemus, the volunteer in the Development and Communications department at Samaritan, interviewed some of the student volunteers and Samaritan Professionals as the volunteers started the second week of job shadowing this week. Student volunteer Yosellyne Villalobos spent her third rotation in respiratory therapy. She admitted to being a difficult patient when she was younger and wants to give back by becoming a pediatric or OR nurse. As a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, she found her time at Samaritan calmer and quieter compared to the show. Amber Reynolds is an RN on the Med Surg unit who has been working with the student volunteers. Med surg takes care of any patient with acute health problems of all ages, from infants to adults at the end of life. One of the things she likes to tell students is that nursing doesn’t get easier with time, but that you get more comfortable with the chaos and uncertainty in the work. Although her mother works at Samaritan, Kamila was surprised to see how much the staff do beyond patient care. She learned that Security does more than respond to emergencies. They also help with building inspections and badge access. She recommends the student volunteer experience to anyone interested. “100% do it,” she said. Her advice is the “Smile a lot and don’t be afraid to talk to people. Everyone is willing to help you if you need it.” She plans on a career as a medical examiner. For more information about volunteering at Samaritan, go to https://lnkd.in/g4fJkq2U #WeAreSamaritan

As the Samaritan student volunteers wrap up their first week, Development and Communications volunteer Madison Zimmerman interviewed some of the volunteers in departments around the hospital. In Nutrition Services, Abigail Solomyanuk says being in the Clover Café is a whole different side of the hospital after spending her first rotation in Speech Therapy. Her future plans are to work in a restaurant and is enjoying her time because the atmosphere in the café “feels like a family.” Dianna Echeagaray found it fascinating to see the images of the human body in her diagnostic imaging rotation. Her current rotation was in Materials Management learning about medical supplies. Like many of the student volunteers, Dianna is exploring a career in the medical field. In his first rotation, Jose Ontiveros was able to observe a surgery, which he said was interesting and he found out they play music during the surgery. He was spending his second rotation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and learning from the staff there. During her interviews with other volunteers, Madison was able to learn about other areas of the hospital. She was interested to learn about a non-medical healthcare career in the department. She plans on becoming a CNA and then an RN. For more information about volunteering at Samaritan, go to: https://lnkd.in/g4fJkq2U #wearesamaritan

The Samaritan student volunteers began their first rotation out of four this Tuesday. Sunny Rodriguez, the volunteer in the Development and Communications department, interviewed some of the student volunteers about their experience so far: Abigail Garcia and Lydia Torres were student volunteers with Security in the first rotation. They both like getting to know the security team. Abigail is enjoying her volunteer experience because she gets to see new things, like seeing Life Flight helicopter land at the hospital on Wednesday. For Lydia, being able to volunteer at Samaritan is giving her a “deep dive into what happens behind the scenes in the medical field.” Jayden Mann spent her first student volunteer rotation with IT. She chose to be a volunteer to get a better understanding of what she wants to do in the future. During her physical therapy rotation, Bella Orozco enjoyed getting to know and meet different patients. She is interested in the medical field and wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Sunny’s experience in Development and Communications has been enlightening. She enjoyed getting to work with many of the other departments at Samaritan, including Family Birth Center and IT. To learn more about volunteering at Samaritan, go to https://lnkd.in/g4fJkq2U

Help shape the future of healthcare in our region: Take our Community Health Survey! This short survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and is open to adults in Moses Lake, Quincy, Ephrata, Othello and Odessa. Take the survey today: https://lnkd.in/gAexfcvf

👏Congratulations to our July Professional of the Month, Kelsey Bradshaw in the Lab! Thank you for everything you do, Kelsey! #WeAreSamaritan

Expand your child's babysitting skills with Samaritan's Safe Sitter Summer Classes! The 1-day classes for ages 11-14 will teach general and safety skills, CPR, and more. This summer's dates are July 24, July 30, August 13 and August 27. The $75 registration fee covers lunch and all supplies. The classes will be held in the Samaritan Hospital Conference Center. To learn more and register, go to https://lnkd.in/g9eUdmab #wearesamaritan

👏Congratulations to our June Professional of the Month, Julie Nishida, a Resource Pool RN! Thank you for everything you do, Julie!

Samaritan recently celebrated the retirement of Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan, who led the organization from October 2015 through May 2026. At Samaritan’s Board of Commissioners meeting in late April, the Board officially appointed CAO Alex Town as the next CEO effective May 22. Town joined Samaritan in 2017 and has served in multiple executive leadership positions within the organization including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8sBCMqb #wearesamaritan

As Theresa Sullivan's time as Samaritan CEO comes to a close, we celebrate her decade of dedication to the organization during a transformative time for healthcare in our region. Thank you for your leadership and belief in Samaritan, Theresa! #WeAreSamaritan