The Brightside: ITCH Program
TALBOT CO., Md. – A free educational health care program in Talbot County is growing rapidly in efforts to spark interest among young students to go into the medical field. “The gift of doing health care and making people better. Whether it’s the community, whether it’s your mother, your friends, or public health, anybody is magical,” says Judith Gieske, a Retired Pediatrician and co-founder of Itro to Careers in Health Care (ITCH).
The health care industry, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, has certain organizations getting creative with ways to fill the gaps and holes left. “Why not reach out and start educating youth at a young age to get them interested in careers in health care, so that we can grow our own?” says Ruth Ann Jones, a retired RN and ITCH Co-Founder.
Three women, and long-time health care professionals, created ITCH to give students of all backgrounds the possibility of a financially rewarding career, and to sustain the health care industry locally. Gieske, Jones, and Cynthia Watson are the masterminds behind it all, already impacting nearly 100 students since their pilot program in 2023.
Gieske explains to us, “We start with doctors, nurses, CNAs, all the way down to every job in the hospital, including IT, including industrial management, and we’re lighting lights.” Jones adds, “Opening their eyes to all of those different careers and jobs helps them plan for their goals once they reach high school. We hope we’re making a difference.”
Students in middle school and high school get real-world experience through several partnerships with local health facilities and organizations, including Chesapeake College. “To have all this stuff is kind of like a privilege to us; we’re really grateful for it,” says Tristan Deshields, a 10th-grade ITCH student. While a 7th grader and ITCH student, London Davis adds, “They allow you to have a mentor or a career buddy that will help you with your career as you get older, which is invaluable.”
Students in the program like Davis, Deshields, and Rudi Vicente say they’re all getting hands-on opportunities. Students are learning about CPR, dialysis, taking temperatures, or even blood pressure.
While Davis says she’s always been interested in the health care field, students like Vicente say getting involved with the program is what ignited their
passion for the industry. “I wanted to be a football player, but I realized, like, you’ve got to have a plan B because, what if you don’t make it? I started getting into this.”
We’re told, students are paired up with mentors in their field of interest to get a better understanding of their potential, and the larger implications that come with growing our health care industry. “The people who can, like, do the work with us in their respective fields. I feel like every time they came in, I became more inspired to do whatever it is they do,” says Deshields. Gieske adds, “These kids, particularly the diversity population kids, need to work in the hospital so that they can reflect the patient population.”
Organizers say they make it a point to encourage students to look beyond doctors and nurses, because there’s a multitude of opportunities that may not always require years of college. Jones explains, “I would just like to encourage the youth to explore the careers that are out there. Don’t just explore one or two, look at what’s out there in the health care field and see where you’d be comfortable.”
While all three students have different aspirations, whether to become a pharmacist, work in the surgical field, or in pediatrics, we’re told this program has shed new light on the possibility of making a difference shortly.
“I’ve always wanted to help people and give back to the world to make it a better place,” explains Davis, while Vicente echoes that same sentiment. Deshields goes on to explain, “Always take advantage of opportunities that are given to you.
The ITCH program also provides scholarship opportunities and internships to align with their growing pipeline to place students in local health care facilities or onto more schooling upon graduation.
For more information on the ITCH program, if you’re in Talbot County, visit the ITCH website.
