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Intern Spotlight: Reagan Ginsberg and Western Berks Ambulance Association

photo of Reagan Ginsberg

Reagan Ginsberg is completing a for-credit internship with the Western Berks Ambulance Association. Her profile was written by Avery Burke, a communications intern for the Exeter Township School District.

Reagan Ginsberg is a senior at Exeter Township Senior High School and is the leader of Exeter Mini-THON. Outside of school she is enlisted as a member of the Army Reserves. Reagan is interning at the Western Berks Ambulance Association. 

Q: Why did you choose your internship program?

A: I chose this internship because I will be trained as a Combat Medic this summer with the Army, so this internship is allowing me to become accustomed to medical terminology and build lasting connections in the field.

Q:  What are some of the major projects you have worked on so far?

A:  I am an observer on the truck while they respond to advanced life support (ALS) calls and sometimes basic life support (BLS) calls. ALS calls are for paramedics when people need advanced skills to handle them: think traumas, cardiac arrests, or serious allergic reactions. BLS calls are for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), and this is when the patient is stable and just needs a ride to the hospital. Along with observing, I start flushes, attach leads or blood pressure cuffs, and really anything that my mentor is comfortable with me doing. I have seen patients of many age groups, socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and genders.

Q: What have you learned so far during your internship?

A: Seeing the trauma patients allowed me some confidence with going into the military. Because of my internship, I know I can handle the sight of blood, needles, and open wounds.

Q: What has been your favorite and most challenging part of this internship?

A:  My favorite part of this internship is expanding my own knowledge about our surrounding communities. I am also very glad that I had the opportunity to surround myself with intense situations that the typical high schooler may not witness. A challenge at this internship was the hours. Many are unaware of how hard our EMTs and paramedics work for us. The minimum length of a shift is 12 hours, with many going until 18 hours. I have completed two 12 hour shifts, one being overnight, and it was certainly a challenge to adjust to. 

Q: What career do you hope to have one day? Is this something you have always seen yourself doing? 

A:  When I get out of the military, this is absolutely something I could see myself doing. I thoroughly enjoy every shift I am able to complete and look very much forward to it as a future career. Ultimately, I would like to be an emergency medicine physician for the military, but this internship, and potential career, is a significant stepping stone on my way to that career.

Intern Spotlight: Avery Burke and the ETSD

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Avery Burke is a senior at Exeter Township Senior High School and is on the girls' tennis team. She is also a part of the Stage Crew and runs the sound for the plays and musicals. Avery is interning at the ETSD Administration Building in the Communications Department. 

Q: Why did you choose your internship program?

A: I chose this internship because I have always gone back and forth between what I would like to do in my future. During all my college searching, applying, and visits I heard about degrees in both Communications and Public Relations. This sparked my interest because I love interacting with people, writing stories, and possibly going to new places. So when I heard about this internship opportunity I was very excited to get an idea of what a career in this field might look like. 

Q: What are some of the major projects you have worked on so far?

A: So far in my internship I have gotten the opportunity to work on many different projects. I worked on updating and expanding the community service opportunities for students, writing up interviews for various staff and students in Exeter, and getting to take pictures of some of the amazing events at all the Exeter schools.  

Q: What have you learned so far during your internship?

A: I have learned so much valuable information about this career path that will definitely help me in my future. One of the most important things I think that I have learned was how to find a story, contact the person or people it is about, and then how to go about creating an interesting story with pictures that most people will enjoy. I have also learned how to manage and create a website, as well as how to professionally manage and create posts for various social media sites. 

Q: What has been your favorite and most challenging part of this internship?

A: I think that my favorite part of this internship is getting out and interacting with staff and students from all the schools. I also love writing up stories and interviews about different events and people in the district.

Q: What career do you hope to have one day? Is this something you have always seen yourself doing? 

A: One day I hope to be working for an international company, writing and creating stories and social media posts, and hopefully traveling…a lot! This is not something that I have always seen myself doing, however traveling and writing is something that I have always wanted to do.  

Q: How will this internship help you in the future?

A: I hope this internship will open many doors for me in both college and my future classes. I hope that this internship might give me a leg up on some of my other classmates and coworkers because I already know a lot of valuable information. 

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: If you are thinking about doing the internship program, then do it! It is such a great opportunity for students to get a feel for what their future career might be like. If you are interested but not sure where you would like to intern, do not let that stop you. Mr. Ricketts has many connections and I am sure if you reach out to him you will find something that piques your interest! 

Internship Spotlight: Tanner Karas and C&S Medical Supply

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Tanner Karas (left) is completing a for-credit internship in business with C&S Medical Supply in West Reading. His profile was written by Avery Burke, a communications intern for the Exeter Township School District.

Tanner Karas is a senior at Exeter Township Senior High and is on the soccer and wrestling team, and is a member of the Business Club. Tanner is currently interning at C&S Medical Supply. 

Q: Why did you choose this internship?

A: I knew my boss from soccer and he offered it to me so I could learn more about the business world.

Q: What are some of the major projects you have worked on so far?

A: So far I've taken inventory, created a billing sheet to use when the service people go out on jobs, and uploaded products and inventory to Shopify, to name a few of my responsibilities.

Q: What have you learned so far during your internship? 

A: I have learned how many business interactions work as far as meetings, buying products and taking inventory, as well as how to use Shopify and market it to potential customers.

Q: What has been your favorite part of this internship?

A: My favorite part of this internship so far would be that I've been involved in business meetings.

Q: What has been a challenge for you at this internship? 

A: I have had some challenges with things involving Shopify. Also some of our spreadsheets change daily, which can be tedious.

Q: What career do you hope to have one day?

A: My future career will be something involving business. I'm not 100% on specifics yet.

Q: Is this something you have always seen yourself doing? 

A: I see myself doing something like this because I think I'm good with money and computers, and I enjoy work like this.

Q: How will this internship help you in your future?

A: This internship will allow me to have experiences and ideas about how to participate in the business world without getting thrown into the deep end first.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: Every day has something different going on here, even if it's the same project, conversations or what's going on around in the warehouse. It keeps my work from being repetitive and keeps me on my feet.

Internship Spotlight: Taylor Mentzer and Integrated Surgical Specialists

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Taylor Mentzer (right) is completing a for-credit internship in orthopedic surgery with Integrated Surgical Specialists in Wyomissing. Her profile was written by Avery Burke, a communications intern for the Exeter Township School District. 

Taylor Mentzer is a senior at Exeter Township Senior High School and is on the varsity soccer team and the girls' softball team. She also is a member of National Honor Society, Mini-THON and Ski Club. Taylor will be attending University of North Carolina in Greensboro to major in kinesiology and play Division I soccer. She is interning at the Integrated Surgical Specialists with orthopedic surgery. 

Q: Why did you choose that internship program?

A: I chose this internship program because of my interest in the medical field. Initially, I wanted to major in nursing, but since then I have changed my major to kinesiology. Kinesiology is basically exercise science. 

Q: What are some of the major projects you have worked on so far?

A: I observe a variety of orthopedic surgeries. I have watched hip surgeries due to the hip joint being worn down and damaged. I have watched ACL surgeries where autographs from the hamstring are used to repair the torn ACL of the patient. I have watched a bunch of fractures, from wrists, to legs, to arms, where X-rays are used to insert pins, screws, and plates. I have watched hand surgeries, such as carpal tunnel surgeries where the surgeon cuts through the ligament to relieve the pressure on the nerve. I have also watched shoulder scope surgeries, where an arthroscope is inserted into the shoulder through an incision which is connected to a video monitor. The surgeon repairs the tissues and joints within the shoulder. In addition, I have also observed a lab on a cadaver where the surgeon is learning a new type of fusion surgery. 

Q: What have you learned so far during your internship?

A: I have learned a lot throughout my time at my internship so far. I have learned important medical terms, medical equipment, operating room procedures, pre- and post-operation procedures, and insurance policies. 

Q: What has been your favorite and most challenging part of this internship?

A: My favorite part of my internship has been the variety of surgeries. My favorite surgeries would be the fractures. There are a lot of elements that go into these with all the pins, screws, and plates being used. Since my internship is the same time as my softball season, time management has been a challenge. I need to make sure to get enough hours each week while juggling my practice and game schedule at the same time. Also, due to legalities, I cannot do certain things, which makes most of my work observational rather than hands-on. 

Q: What career do you hope to have one day? Is this something you have always seen yourself doing? 

A: I hope to have a career as either a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or an athletic trainer after college.  I have always been interested in the medical field in some aspect, so yes, I could always see myself doing this. I also enjoy helping others and in this career path, I am combining the interest in the medical field and the enjoyment for helping others. 

Q: How will this internship help you in the future?

A: My internship gives me first hand experience on the operations that I could one day be helping people recover from. It adds information that will ultimately help patients that I will work with. Having this experience also builds my resume and validates my desire to continue in the medical field. 

Rabid Animals Identified Near Exeter Schools

St. Lawrence Borough officials along with the Animal Rescue League of Berks County have identified a number of rabid animals along Jacksonwald Avenue and the bottom of Parkview Road near the Antietam Creek. St. Lawrence will be issuing a CODE RED this afternoon warning residents to stay away from outdoor animals and to keep their indoor pets inside and to stay vigilant for rabies symptoms. Rabies is transmitted from animal to animal or animal to people through saliva from an infected animal into an open wound--most often through a bite from an infected animal. Rabies is not transmitted through feces, urine, blood, or by petting a rabid animal.

In people, rabies symptoms first begin as a tingling or prickling area around the wound or bite and then progress into typical flu-like symptoms, which may include one or more of the following symptoms: headache, tiredness, fever, dizziness and/or loss of appetite. Rabies then progresses into mental confusion, anxiety, hallucination, etc. Rabies is FATAL if not caught early and treated by a series of vaccines.

The District is recommending that all students stay away from any outdoor animals--even if they know them--particularly in the area around Antietam Creek, which is in the park known as Happy Landings (the park that runs in between the ETSD Administration Building and the Reiffton, Junior High and Senior High campuses). If any students were recently bitten by an outdoor animal or an animal that's been unsupervised outside, please do not wait for symptoms to appear. Please seek medical attention immediately.

The District has notified coaches to keep students together with other students or coaches when practicing outside. Students who are able to take bus transportation should do so, or walk with an adult or other students. The ARL is in the process of trapping animals in the area to assess the infection level and, along with St. Lawrence Borough, will stay in contact with the District so that we can determine if any further precautionary steps need to be taken before school resumes on April 18th.

Notice: Admin Building Closed During Business Hours April 4-8

The Exeter Township Administration Building will be open to the public for the Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, April 5 at 6PM; however, the building will be closed to the public during business hours from Monday, April 4 through Friday, April 8 for HVAC work. We apologize for any inconvenience. Should you have concerns or questions, please contact the District at 610-779-0700. Thank you.