Crushing Clinicals
Reagan Student Leverages Curricula to Jumpstart Future Nursing Career
By Amy Morgan
Path to Green – the phrase describes the foot-on-the-gas, obstacle-overcoming, can-do attitude of Ronald Reagan High School senior Michael Sauder. He can’t wait to explore anything hands on, practical and in-person. Currently, he’s participating in Reagan’s Clinical 2 health career class, which entails spending Monday and Wednesday mornings not sitting in a school classroom but shadowing health care personnel at several Stone Oak hospitals and clinics.
“This class lays the foundation for what I want to do,” Michael said. “You get to talk to real people doing real things – that has been such a huge eye-opener.” Michael plans to pursue a career in nursing, inspired by the nurses who uplifted him when he battled Hodgkins Lymphoma during fourth and fifth grades. “I didn’t get depressed or sad even though I was surrounded by needles and all the scary parts,” he said. “I attribute that to the nurses who were so positive and happy. They showed me there’s no way out but forward and that I could get through it. That is the driving motivation for why I want to go into health care.” Michael further hopes to specialize in oncology.
Now “completely in remission and never better,” he’s actively working to attain a phlebotomy certification through Reagan’s course. Michael’s already received his OSHA card and learned the required HIPPA rules. Once he passes the final exam and completes 30 IV sticks, he’ll qualify to become a certified phlebotomist and can start working in a health care setting. Now he’s just a few sticks away from his goal. The most challenging part, he said, (other than convincing patients to give a student a chance on their veins) is to remember the order of the vials to draw.
Clinical 2 is not the only Reagan practical course in which Michael has been involved. He’s been part of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) all four years and now serves as president. More than just a class, the program provides support, knowledge and resources to ease the college admission process. Taught by Ms. Newberg, students learn how to search for universities that will be a good match for their interests and abilities and obtain the maximum tuition assistance for which they are eligible. That includes completing the lengthy FAFSA financial form used by colleges to determine aid.
“There’s a lot of pressure to get it (the FAFSFA) done,” Michael said, “because the longer you put it off, the less money you will get.” Last fall, Ms. Newberg insisted her students not start a new project until everyone in the class had finished. “Sometimes you just have to buckle down,” Michael said. AVID also provides time for students to access peer help or even tutoring.
“It’s those small times I needed help and got help that inspired me to stay in AVID,” he said.
He considers Ms. Newberg “someone you can rely on at a major point in your life when decisions matter,” he said. One motivating factor in Michael’s decision to run for president was to tell Ms. Newberg, “Thanks for having us.” He’s proud of the fact that he was elected through the democratic system by one peer vote.
Michael determined through the AVID research process that his best college choice based on quality of nursing program and cost was the University of Kansas. He’ll join the freshman class of 2026 with a significant KU performance award scholarship applied to his tuition. He’ll just miss his sister, Kate, (RHS 2022) who’ll graduate from KU in May and join his father and grandfather in the ranks of the school’s alumni.
Both AVID and two years spent as part of RHS’s JROTC program built Michael’s appreciation for discipline and strengthened his ability to overcome challenges. “You don’t have to be scared if you’ve done the work and are prepared,” he said.
