Six Milwaukee-area students are graduating from high school this year with a medical assistant certificate through a new hybrid program designed to give high schoolers job options after graduation.
A new grant-funded K-12 medical assistant pathway program, led by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee in partnership with Froedtert Health and MedCerts, serves as an entry point into the medical field and provides real hospital work experience for Milwaukee students.
The certification program qualifies students to become medical assistants in the field, and the coursework can be applied toward college credits.
“They will have an on or off ramp to go into the workforce or go into college,” said Anthony Pineda, director of partner marketing for MedCerts.
All the students worked at Froedtert Health in various capacities as a requirement for graduating from the program. Some students worked in the cafeteria, others transported patients between rooms.
On Wednesday, May 27, six students completed the program and can now apply to be medical assistants in the health care field.
“We are solving the health care workforce issues with this initiative,” Pineda said. “We are tapping into the community, and we are helping offer a living wage out of high school for the students.”
Maryan Mohamed
Maryan Mohamed, 18, was drawn to the program because of her interest in the medical field.
She said she wants to eventually become a radiologic technologist − a hospital position specialized in creating diagnostic images like x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans.
Mohamed plans to work at Froedtert Hospital over the summer until she begins college in the fall.
AJ Egerson
AJ Egerson, 18, learned about the program through his school adviser and saw it as an opportunity to “get his foot in the door,” he said.
Egerson said he would like to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Currently, he is a patient transporter, a professional who moves patients between rooms and departments.
“I see mental health as an extremely important thing,” he said.
He will begin the nursing track at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall.
Aubree Cathey
Aubree Cathey, 17, joined the program because of her interest in biology and medicine.
“I don’t think I’ve seen another opportunity like this to get a certification before I graduate high school,” she said.
She is graduating a year early and will start college in the fall at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Geordynn Nappier
Geordynn Nappier, 18, was working as a lifeguard when she saw an email about the medical assistant program. She dug a little deeper into what a medical assistant does and decided to join the program.
After graduation, Nappier plans to use her medical assistant certification over the summer and potentially this fall, once she begins studying dentistry at Xavier University of Louisiana.
She wants to become an orthodontist.
Summer Hopkins
Summer Hopkins, 18, said she has wanted to be a pediatrician since she was young.
“I really wanted to get my foot in the door, and MedCerts opened that door,” she said.
Hopkins said her passion is working with children, and pediatrics was the best route for her to do so.
She plans to work as a medical assistant, earning new certifications as she gains hands-on experience in the medical field.
Eva Vang
Eva Vang, 18, was interested in emergency medicine and is excited to have completed the pathway program.
“It was not easy balancing schoolwork and these classes, but I am glad we are celebrating the completion of it,” Vang said.
She will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall for clinical health and biology.
Everett Eaton covers Harambee for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: eeaton@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Bader Philanthropies, Zilber Foundation, Journal Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Six Milwaukee students graduate from high school with medical assistant certificates
Reporting by Everett Eaton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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