1

EXPERIENCES OF GRADE 12- STEM STUDENTS IN

MEDICINE FIELDS THROUGH WORK IMERSSION IN CONCS

A Research Paper
Presented to the English Department of
Concepcion Catholic School, Inc.
Concepcion, Tarlac

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Subject
ECAS10: English Communication Arts
and Skills Through Word Literature

BOLALIN, PHILIP ROVI D.

CELESTINO, LEANNE CARMELA P.
FRANCISCO, GABRIEL MAYDEN H.
GARCIA, ASHER T.
PRADO, ANDREW F.
SALAS, RICHELLE PRINCESS D.
TAMONDONG, ELAIJAH JONELLE O.

APRIL 2023
 2

Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND IT’S BACKGROUND

Introduction

In a published article featuring the Grade 12 Senior high students in Saint Francis of

Assisi last 2019-2020, it was stated that Work Immersion is a senior high school course that

gives students a hands-on work simulation or experience that allows them to put their skills and

concerns into practice in relation to their chosen career path. It is one of the subjects that students

must take to graduate. It is a curriculum that incorporates practical applications or hands-on

learning to improve the abilities and skills of students. Every learner is made aware of the

realities of the workplace through work immersion. It helps them improve their communication

abilities, gives experiences to learn from, and familiarize them with the necessary materials and

tools.

Work Immersion exposes each learner to the realities of a work environment. It helps

them to improve their social skills, gives them real-world job circumstances to adapt to, help

them familiarize with the equipment and materials. Its primary goal is to instill work values in

students and expose them to various work immersion sites in able for them to understand the

degree course they're trying to pursue. Every Grade 12 Students should participate in work

immersion program in order to familiarize themselves with the experience and become more

adaptable. It will help them quickly adjust to the environment of the field they have chosen to

pursue and be familiar with it when they do so in college or even while working. In addition to

applying their prior knowledge, students can experience the social dynamics of a workplace

through work immersion.

 3

According to DOLE (2017) Grade 12 Students will be required to participant in Work

Immersion, which requires at least 80 hours of hands-on experience and expose them to the

actual workplace context. The length of time that each student was able to participate in work

immersion
4
 2

this year varied depending on the organization they were placed in, but in the case of senior high

school students in the medical field, some of them worked and observed throughout the entire

day while other students who were placed in a different clinic or hospital only worked and

observed during the morning. Work Immersion aims to further develop students’ knowledge and

abilities, so they are prepared to face challenges in the future, whether they are pursuing higher

education in college or entering the highly competitive employment field. Through this program,

students can be ready for their huge transition into the workforce and become at ease and

knowledgeable about business-related situations relevant to their track. Work Immersion is

beneficial because it enables Senior High School students to determine whether the professional

path, they have chosen in school is what they want to pursue, it will assist them in determining

whether they truly enjoy the field they intend to pursue and in realizing how demanding it is.

Their career choice will emerge because of being able to put their knowledge and skills to

the test in the workplace. Through work immersion students are exposed to and familiarized with

job related environment relating to their area of specialization, which helps them become more

competent. The learners work immersion experiences will help them decide what college courses

they want to take, by simulating genuine work environments. Work Immersion offers students a

chance to develop personally. These attempts to better prepare seniors in high school for college,

work; to help them build life and career skills; and to help them develop attitudes, a sense of

appreciation for, and respect, for what they do. In addition, it enables them to smoothly move

from education to job once they have gained worthwhile experience. The value of work

immersion must be viewed as a crucial component of providing students with a platform to

develop personally through hands-on experience. It enables students to gain knowledge and

experience that will help them develop as professional’s, modern knowledge will undoubtedly
 3

benefit them in the future careers as professionals in modern society. Additionally, this

curriculum gives student the chance to practice real-world job approaches with authentic tools,

equipment, and paperwork. In essence, the workplace serves as a learning environment for us

learners, as we put what we have learned in the classroom into practice and learn more about our

chosen fields. One of life’s greatest teachers is regarded as experience.

Thus, the purpose of the study is to learn more about the work immersion program’s

efficiency. Researchers can learn more about the program’s effectiveness and spot any areas for

improvement by studying the experiences of Grade 12 STEM students participating in work

immersion. Researchers could, for instance, assess, whether the activities and responsibilities

students are given during their work immersion are consistent with the abilities and information

they are expected to acquire in their curriculum. Furthermore, by focusing on the experiences of

STEM students, researchers might spot any particular difficulties or chances that might emerge

in these fields. All students' work immersion programs can be improved with the help of this

knowledge, and their readiness for future employment can be guaranteed.

 4

Statement of the Problem:

The study aims to determine the experiences of Grade 12 – Stem Students in Medical Fields

through Work Immersion.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following:

1. How did work immersion help you establish or improve your skills in terms of:

1.1 Knowledge

1.2 Social Skills

1.3 Real - Life Situation

2. What are the experiences of Grade 12-STEM students in Medicine Fields?

3. What are the possible improvements that you may suggest bases on your experience in Work

Immersion?

4. What is the implication of the study?

 5

Literature Review and Related Studies

Related Literature

According to Ackerman and Schaar, (2016) “CLINICAL OBSERVATIONAL DESIGN

EXPERIENCE: A Large Design Oriented Clinical Immersion Course Based in Emergency

Departments” It Is well established that exposure to clinical settings is important for

development of medical devices. Have developed a clinical immersion program aimed at

arranging an extended observation experience that will provide a basis for future clinical

exposure. Students participating in this program do so before or concurrently with their

capstone/senior design experience. This course is supplemental to clinical experiences they may

have their capstone advisor. Students are often able to observe complete care of patients during

an observation period. While emergency departments care for all manner of patients and clinical

conditions, most students enter the immersion program with at least some firsthand experience,

either having been patients themselves or accompanied friends or family to an ED.

According to Mangaluz (2018), stated that work immersion’s main goal is to give

students an in-depth learning experience of their supposed future workplace. The Work

Immersion prepares students for both college and actual jobs. By the completion of their Work

Immersion, students should be able to apply the abilities they learned in school to real-life

situations in the workplace. Work Immersion has varying effects depending on the school and the

student. It would most certainly feel like a huge stride forward for them, a glimpse into their

future. Others may interpret it as a message to go in a different way.

 6

Related Studies

Local

According to Rafanan, De Guzman, and Rogayan (2020) “Pursuing STEM- Careers:

Perspective of Senior High School Students” mentioned that there are five related categories

regarding the understanding and experiences of the students’ thinking of engagement, challenges

influencing engagement, teacher’s facilitation of engagement, course assignments and

engagement, and facilitation of content utility. Rask (2010) states that the STEM program is very

costly in terms of one’s motivation and future career potential as well. STEM education is one of

the most in-demand strands in DepEd’s senior high school. With the K to 12 curriculums, more

students became more competitive, especially in the field of science and technology, as well as in

engineering and mathematics using advanced concepts and topics. As a result, the Philippine

education system is continuously improving, and it also helps the students to be more globally

competitive. But due to lack of scholarship opportunities, lack of parental support, and some

other factors, many STEM students fail to finish their chosen careers.

According to Bustamante (2019) in the study entitled “Senior High School Work

Immersion Pioneers: A Phenomenological Study”, the preparation of the high school students has

become more demanding in this unstoppable moving world in which most of the traditional

practices have been redefined by contemporary ways and views. In order to sustain with these

changes, there is a need for students have exposure of the real world setting and be prepared for

real work in order to survive. A better way to realize this is to expose the students to work

immersion that serves as a platform towards a successful and productive life. In addition, the

students shared during the interview that they found it hard to deal with different clients or

people visiting in the office carrying different concerns. It gave them realization for their routine
 7

in school is to face with the same classmates and teachers but in the work place they were

overwhelmed with the varied types of people they get acquainted with. Admittedly, the students

acknowledge that they have improved their patience in handling different situations and most of

all their communication skills when attending different concerns from people. Their work

immersion experiences gave them the opportunity to further improve their interpersonal skills in

terms of human relations, customer satisfaction, and patient’s care qualifications.

Foreign

According to E. Susan and J. Steven MD (2017) “ Creating the Medical Schools of the

Future” stated that the medical schools of the future require full implementation of competency-

based curriculum redesign to standardize learning outcomes and individualize learning

processes, established of habits of inquiry to produce master lifelong learners, integration of

health care delivery science into the curriculum, and development of new immersion experiences

within the health care delivery system to ensure that the future physicians are fully prepared to

lead the system innovations that are required for continuous improvement of health care. New

technology and tools for managing the learning environment and new methods of assessment for

measuring achievement of competencies must be developed to implement the changes above.

Students must be prepared for health care delivery environments that are the result of structures

incentivized, so that they can make informed choices about career and practice options. Schools

are developing new experiences for students that immerse them in health care delivery system to

experience health care through patient-centered and team care approaches. Students are trained

to be patient navigators, assisting patients and families in optimizing their experiences with the

system of care delivery. Both providing a valued service and giving students a unique view of

potential areas for improvement in care delivery

 8

References
Jeremy Ackerman, Raja Schaar (2017) CLINICAL OBSERVATIONAL DESIGN

EXPERIENCE:

A Large Design Oriented Clinical Immersion Course Based In Emergency Departments.

Venture Well https://venturewell.org/

Jeson Bustamante (2019): A Phenomenological Study. Research Gate. Work Immersion Pioneers

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/

354126346_SENIOR_HIGH_SCHOOL_WORK_IMMERSION_PIONEERS_A_PHENOMEN

OLOGICAL_STUDY.

Mangaluz, Jeanella (2018). Philippine Daily Inquirer. K-12 and The Work Immersion Program

https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/

Rafanan, Renzo Jay L, De Guzman,Clarisse Yimyr, Rogayan Jr., Danilo V (2020) Pursuing

STEM

Careers: Perspectives of Senior High School Students. DergiPark Akademic.

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/
 9

Skochelak, Susan E. MD, MPH; Stack, Steven J. MD (2017). Creating the Medical Schools of

the

Future. Academic Medicine. https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/

Senior High School Students of Saint Francis of Assisi (2019). SHS learners undergo in-house

work immersion program. Saint Francis of Assisi College. https://stfrancis.edu.ph/