May/June 2011 News from the Valley’s Integrated Health Community Teaching Your Children


to Achieve Excellence By Brent M. Cooper


to their full potential. With all the distrac- tions – video games, internet, TV, smart phones, texting, email, etc. – how do we motivate our children to excel in all they do?


Dyer recounts his days as a young boy working for the local grocery store. He was a bagger, or “box boy” as it was then called, loading groceries into bags and placing them into customers’ shopping carts. He made it his personal goal to en- sure that none of his covered checkers would have to pack a single grocery item while he was working. Dyer categorized fellow box boys as 1-baggers, 2-baggers or 3-baggers – referring to the number of checkers managed during their shift. His aim was to be a 3 or 4-bagger, covering up to 4 checkers and moving like a whirl- wind between them.


types of workers: the disinterested sales clerk barely able to ring up your order let alone answer questions about store products, and the engaged employee who knows the inventory, answers your questions, and gets things done promptly and courteously. This employee is proud of their work, wants to be of service, and strives to be their best.


to be this type of employee – the one who strives for excellence? Why would a child or teenager bother to become a 3 or


So how do we encourage our children Many of us have experienced both In one of his many books, Dr. Wayne I often hear that kids aren’t living up


4-bagger? Be- cause by tak- ing a stand in all you do, you are announc- ing to the world your intention and action of pursuing a course of excellence in your life. But how is this going to improve your life?


come fully engaged and present in the activities at hand. What once was a bor- ing, menial job, becomes a satisfying, fully-engaging activity. One is no longer in the world of “Tick Tock”, as meta- physical author Stuart Wilde loves to call the stress-filled, desire-seeking, never- at-peace, clock-watching world in which most of us exist daily.


If you are a young Wayne Dyer, you pay attention to the flow of activities around you–groceries rolling on the conveyor belt, the movements of the checkers and market customers in line. Not only are you in tune with the flow of activities around you, but you are an integral part of the flow.


us to the Farmer’s Market. There I would enjoy all the craftsmen at work - the glassblower making beautiful, delicate glass unicorns, dolphins and sea horses; or the baker squeezing out perfect pink elephants onto a white layer cake. Even as a child, I knew I was observing excel- lence. There was something magical


Coachella Valley’s Health Care Industry


MENTORING THE FUTURE Brought to you by CVEP’s Health Care Council


Local Hospitals Help Prepare Students for Future in Health Care


Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) is collaborating with Valley hospitals allowing hundreds of students to experience what a career in health care might feel like. Through a unique program called “Career Explorations”, Eisenhower Medical Center (EMC) and Desert Regional Medical Center (DRMC) are making connections with students and helping to prepare their next generation workforce.


Since 2005, the hospitals have hosted more than 1,250 students for interactive


tours of their campuses, introducing students to the wide-range of careers and pro- fessionals who work to keep our Valley healthy. Students have a chance to speak with emergency room nurses, lab technicians, research scientists, imaging profes- sionals, doctors, nurses, physi- cal plant operators and many others.


Pathways to Success


Scholar Spotlight:


Sandra Carbajal will graduate from CSUSB Palm Desert in June with her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Psychology, and will immediately head to Lafayette, Indi-


ana to study in the PULSE program at Purdue University. This prestigious in- terdisciplinary lab science graduate program accepted only 35 students from across the country this year.


At Purdue, Carbajal will study neuro- science with a focus on brain injuries, Alzheimer’s disease and spinal cord injuries. After completing her Ph.D., Sandra plans to return to the Valley to teach and continue her research. Sandra moved to the desert from Guadalajara in 2002. Unable to speak English, she enrolled at College of the Desert as an ESL student, completed her general education coursework and transferred to CSUSB.


Congratulations and good luck,Sandra! It is no small feat to facili-


tate meaningful engagement between students and on-the- job professionals and in March, PSUSD Board of Education ex- pressed their appreciation to Pam Silver and EMC with their “Shiny Apple Award.” Silver is a Senior Project Coordinator for Professional Development at EMC, and has coordinated the hospital’s partnership with PSUSD for the past five years. In that time, more than 450 PSUSD middle and high school students have toured EMC, dis- cussed hospital operations with management executives, and considered their own pathway in the field of health care.


On behalf of EMC, Silver has created a model program for students to explore the prom- ise and possibilities of careers in health care. The program has served as an excellent recruit- ment tool for the 275 students in Cathedral City High School’s HEAL (Health and Environmental Academy of Learning) Academy and another 177 in Palm Springs High School’s PALM (Palm Springs Academy of Learning Medicine) Academy.


www.lauriemclennan.com When I was a child, my mother took When we are a 3 or 4-bagger, we be-


about how these tradesmen delighted in making everything perfectly – and in turn, it made me want to achieve excel- lence.


There is something captivating – even mind-altering – about excellence. By tak- ing charge of your situation, and striving to be the best, it is impossible to become a victim. You realize that no outside force determines your level of achievement – the decision is all yours.


right now. Teach them that when they are work-proud, they will feel proud. When they do the best job that they can – whether in school, work or life, they will feel their best. Introduce them


So, teach your children to take a stand


Family Health


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to places and people who also strive to achieve excellence. When they are en- gaged in life through the pursuit of ex- cellence, they have the greatest chance of reaching their full potential.


Brent M. Cooper, Licensed Educational Psychologist is the Director of the El Paseo Children’s Center for Psychological & Edu- cational Assessment. He specializes in con- ducting assessments for children, adoles- cents and adults who may have Learning Disabilities, ADHD, or Autism. He also pro- vides counseling and life coaching. Brent can be reached at 760-342-4900 or visit his website at www.ElPaseoTesting.com


www.elpaseotesting.com


Pam Silver and her colleagues at Eisenhower Medical Center, as well as the team


at Desert Regional Medical Center, are helping students see health care careers as a viable option for their future.


Learn more about how you can partner with the future by contacting Donna Sturgeon, CVEP Healthcare Industry Council Work Based Learning Coordinator donna@cvep.com


www.DesertHealthNews.com


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