'A blessing for me.' Career Launch Academy prepares Memphis students for medical careers

About 40 teenagers visited Methodist University Hospital Friday as part of a program that supports students interested in a career in healthcare.

Methodist has partnered with the Memphis Medical District Collaborative’s Hire Local program to help students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools and charter schools with career opportunities. This program, Career Launch Academy, launched last year with just eight students but has grown significantly to 42.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry was left with a shortage of healthcare professionals. Latasha Harris, director of workforce strategies for MMDC, explained the idea behind the CLA program, and the goal of bridging that gap in the workforce pipeline.

“We've thought about, you know, how can we develop young people, especially students who are getting ready to graduate,” she said. “How can we help them be ready for job opportunities that are in demand, have living wages and where there's opportunities for them to continue to earn and learn.”

The summer program ran from June 5 to July 7 for rising seniors and will end either July 28 or Aug. 11 for Certified Nursing Assistant students. Harris expects the number of students interested in the program to keep rising.

“This year, we had hoped for maybe 15 students to sign up to do the program, but the response was overwhelming,” Harris said. “Next year, we aim for about 100 students.”

About half of the students, those who just graduated from high school in May, recently completed their certified nursing assistant training and completed their certification exams Friday. Harris said CNA certification is a huge leg up for job opportunities and doesn’t just benefit students, but their families and communities. Additionally, all students are paid $15 an hour while enrolled in the Career Launch Academy.

“So we know that in our city, there's a lot of families that are living in poverty, right? So helping them to find a job opportunity that's going to help give them those benefits that address those social determinants of health, right, so they're getting employment, they're being connected," Harris said. "They've got partners like us who are helping them find the path and giving them support services along the way.”

While half the class completed certification, the rising seniors toured Methodist, visiting the hospital’s pharmacy, intensive care unit, radiology, microbiology and nuclear medicine areas and other sectors. The students received detailed overviews of each department from professionals in those departments, to give them an idea of what specialized area of medicine they may want to pursue.

Eleyceia Gillingham, a student with Career Launch Academy, said she’s better prepared for her future in the medical field, having learned valuable communication skills like listening and emotional intelligence, as well as more hands-on skills like CPR certification, and seeing how implants for shoulders or knees are created and used.

“I have learned a lot,” she said. “I don't feel like I would have been so ready for next year if I wouldn't have learned what I did this year. I feel like this program had definitely been a blessing for me.”

Gillingham’s experiences throughout her life, including her grandmother’s recent death and her sister’s death at a young age, led the high school junior to strive to become a pediatrician. She plans to attend the program again next year, this time as a graduate.

“I feel like this is my calling,” she said. “Plus, I love working with kids.”

Fellow students Shirley Manzanares from Compass Community School and Natasha Makuta from Central High School were both looking to get a head start in the medical field. They said they’ve enjoyed learning about the field, and have made many friends through the program.

“I’m thinking about coming back next year to start my CNA,” Manzanares said.

“I know I want to be a registered nurse,” said Makuta, “but I wanted to do CNA so I could get experience at the hospital while I’m in school.”

Harris wants parents to know that it’s not too late for their child to apply. Preparation for next year’s program starts in the winter.

“We're super excited about the potential of this program to be a solution to help young people find a firm footing into a career in demand… with a living wage and career advancement opportunity.”

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Medical district program prepares Memphians for careers in healthcare