Kate M.
Last Wednesday, as part of Binghamton’s NYC Connect Employer Treks, I was able to visit Northwell Health Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park with a small group of senior nursing students.
Walking into the building, it was immediately evident that Cohen’s was dedicated to fostering a welcoming and positive environment for their pediatric patients and their families. The lobby was bright with natural light, adorned with vibrant colors, had a brand new recording studio for the patients, and so many kid-friendly decorations.
To begin the trek, we attended an information session led by Suzanne Monteleone, the Senior Administrative Director of Nursing Education and Professional Development at Cohen’s. During this information session, Suzanne shared Cohen’s history, values, and what makes it such a special place to work. She also answered the many questions all of us hopeful pediatric nurses had.
Following the information session, we were able to speak with Kaylee Harmon, a former Binghamton student who now works as a full-time pediatric nurse at Cohen’s. Kaylee spoke to the transition from nursing school into the real workforce and her experiences on orientation, nurse residency, and the transition from day shift to night shifts. Relating to her from a student level, Kaylee was able to ease many of the questions and fears that seniors on the cusp of graduation have.
After Kaylee spoke, we were able to speak with the nurse educators of each of the departments at Cohen’s. Each educator spoke to the application process, the orientation and residency details, and fellowships available in the different departments.
Finally, we were given a tour of the hospital. Unlike more general hospital tours, the Cohen’s team organized a comprehensive tour of each of the hospital’s units - a tour that went above and beyond what we all expected. During the tour, we were split into groups and saw three medical surgical floors, the NICU, the PICU, the OR, the hematology/oncology floor, the emergency department, and the surgical ICU step down. Being able to see all the floors of the hospital allowed us to get a feel for the different environment each department offered.
Overall, I had the best experience exploring Cohen’s and can confidently say that many of my nursing peers agreed. For current and future nursing students - keep your eyes out for employer treks during winter break! These are great opportunities to not only network, but get a feel for what your future career may look like! It never hurts to get your foot in the door early!