In April, El Camino Hospital Foundation and the El Camino Hospital Auxiliary collaborated to award scholarships totaling more than $27,000 to high school seniors and college students who wish to enter health care professions, and to hospital employees who wish to pursue advanced degrees. The Foundation contributed $11,150, primarily from dedicated scholarship funds that were established by generous donors for this purpose.
The committee interviewed 17 applicants – high school students, college students, El Camino Hospital employees and their family members. All received scholarships for their particular program of study, which include geriatric nursing, pediatric nursing, general nursing, and speech pathology.
Sisters Phyong Ly and Quen Ly, recipients of Norma Melchor Nursing Scholarships, immigrated to California less than 10 years ago and are the first in their family to attend college. Both are studying nursing at San Jose State University, where they are active in the Student Nursing Association. Excellent students, they will decide on their areas of specialization when they are further along in their studies.
El Camino Hospital employee Melissa De Leon, another awardee, is returning to school to get her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a family nurse practitioner (FNP). She was hired into El Camino Hospital’s New Grad Program (which the Foundation also supports) in October 2013 and has been working on the adult and pediatric surgical unit (4A) ever since. “As a healthcare professional, it is essential that we stay up to date on the latest practices, and incorporate the latest research into our patient care,” she says. “It is also necessary to take on a leadership role and share these changes in practice with our colleagues. We must never be satisfied that we have done enough, but instead must always improve upon what we have learned or accomplished. That is the mentality I intend to keep throughout my career.”