High school senior takes ‘full-on’ responsibility in learning the scrub tech trade

At Melissa Memorial Hospital, Tamara Penzing may just be a shadow at the moment, but in the words of her Operating Manager Elly Bailey, “Not much can beat her enthusiasm” for the job. Standing among operating room personnel and asking questions on occasion, the high school senior has watched the sterilization of instruments, surgeries and endoscopies – or procedures where a flexible tube with a camera is inserted down the throat to detect diseases.

For Penzing, these experiences have turned into a regular Tuesday afternoon.

“I like it!” she said.

Penzing began at the hospital in October through Holyoke High School’s internship program, primarily shadowing local surgical technician Dr. Lawrence Davis in his usual work environment. Internship coordinator Summer Kreider said she intially contacted the hospital to get Penzing set up, but then the student “totally took it from there.”

“It is kind of intimidating working sometimes with people in a hospital,” Kreider said, “but she just full-on took responsibility.”

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