OSI Chief Operating Officer Tammy Williams trains students in leadership techniques.
More than 200 students descended upon OSI on March 7 as part of the Student Leadership Program. And what a terrific group they were.
The Student Leadership Program (SLP) was launched by Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in 2008 in Savannah, Ga., in partnership with the public school system as a way to introduce students to career pathways in the community.
The program enlists 75 area sophomores each fall from Appleton North, East, and West High Schools for the two-year program, exposing students to companies that they may recognize but not understand what happens inside. During the course of the program, students will visit three local companies each year in addition to Gulfstream.
This is the second time OSI, a founding member of NOVO Health, has hosted the SLP group.
Gulfstream and the school system sought a healthcare option and NOVO fit the bill, joining the program in 2017. Students were able to tour the Appleton campus of OSI and visit a variety of stations, including one where they learned to take vitals like blood pressure, one that walked them through a joint replacement surgery and recovery, and a station demonstrating the sterilization of instruments.
This year’s tours on the OSI campus also included visits to Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, also a NOVO member, as well as stops at Recovery Inn, OSI’s attached skilled nursing facility, the Imaging/MRI Center, and clinic exam rooms.
Students also complete curriculum that includes training in soft skills and leadership abilities that are highly sought after by hiring managers. The program includes a community service component volunteering with Feeding America as well as a visit to Chicago in the summer.
Other area companies participating in the program have included Pierce, Plexus, Miller Electric, Boldt, and Bemis.