PROGRAM PREPARES STUDENTS TO REACH FOR THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSION

MedSTEM Pathways Interns from the Rush Education and Career Hub. Photo Courtesy of Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH)
MedSTEM Pathways Interns from the Rush Education and Career Hub. Photo Courtesy of Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH)

Program prepares students to REACH for the healthcare profession

BY TIA CAROL JONES
      Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH), an initiative of Rush University Medical Center, continues its legacy of creating opportunities for African American and Latinx students to gain experience in the healthcare workforce.
      The cradle to career pipeline currently serves over than 3,000 students from pre-kindergarten to college. And, one of its goals is to create exceptional talent for the healthcare workforce of the future, as well as create diversity in the medical field.
     Rukiya Curvey Johnson, MBA, who’s the executive director of the Rush Education and Career Hub, said the program extends beyond the inclusion of doctors and nurses. In addition, it incorporates non-clinical and non-patient facing roles, including IT analyst or community research scientist.
     “We’re creating opportunities for youth to explore the variety of careers there are. We also create opportunities for access by providing paid internships and mentorship with health professionals and other graduate students who are beginning a journey to the very careers our youth aspire to,” she said.
     Moreover, Curvey Johnson said the students in the program are able to build the social capital, connections and networks that help them to achieve their goals while gaining valuable work experience. As a result, students are prepared for success and are able to access the healthcare industry.
     “Everyday we educate, empower and prepare primarily Black and Latinx youth for the future of work. Really thinking about what it means to be on a path to high quality skilled employment and ultimately greater economic well-being,” she said.
     Curvey Johnson added, REACH works to support the student’s efforts by providing academic enrichment including financial aid workshops that assist them in finding ways to fund college.
“We’ve had over 90 percent of our high school graduates enroll in college and persist and also have a healthcare or STEM major, and that’s huge,” she said.
     Curvey Johnson said the internships are coupled with the department placement, work setting and instruction. “We work with practicing health professionals and college faculty to teach students. And, the students getting a chance to see the application of the science and math in the healthcare setting, only helps them understand their work better, understand the application and how and why things work,” she said. “We’ve definitely seen students be able to improve their understanding and academic standing based on participation,” she added.
    Additionally, Curvey Johnson said that students in the program have been able to strengthen their writing and communications skills which has helped them to get a jump start on their college applications and personal statements.
     Students have to work on a research project based on a real world challenge. They present that project to healthcare staff at Rush. They can also get an industry recognized credential, certification, which includes phlebotomy or EKG tech.
     “Those are things that help, in a lot of ways, that help students build a sense of self-efficacy. They are able to see themselves doing this work and that helps them, and kinds of motivates them in other ways and strengthens their study skills and kind of lets them see the value in their academic work,” she added.
      Curvey Johnson said the goal is to adequately staff healthcare systems in Black and Latinx communities. She said access to care can be a matter of life or death in these communities.
     “We want to see more Black youth with high skilled jobs and able to address society’s most pressing health challenges,” she said.
     A college information session will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 6. Applications are open for College Career Pathways, Center for Community Health Equity Research Fellows. The deadline is Friday, Feb. 19.
     For more information about REACH, visit www.reachatrush.org.

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