Kaiser Permanente’s High School Summer Youth Employment Program has provided paid internships for over 20,000 students since 1968. The healthcare organization’s offices in Pasadena chose 18 students to be a part of its program this summer.
Over the course of eight weeks, students learn about available healthcare careers not associated with the hospital setting. Students are assigned to a supervisor in charge of a certain department, and jobs range from working in the mailroom to providing assistance to the executives of the building. Under their supervisor’s guidance, students get hands-on experience within Kaiser.
“Kaiser has provided me a work experience with the necessities that need to be established in order to pursue my future career in business management,” said Miesha Jacobs, an intern in this summer’s program, to JSR.
“I really do recommend this program to anyone, even if you may not have an interest in the healthcare profession,” Jacobs said. “You only meet good people from near and afar, whether it be the other students or your supervisor.”
In an interview with JSR, on-site coordinator Trina Robinson emphasized the need for interaction and cooperation among the students and said, “Because everybody is in a different department, we hold Education Days once a week so that the students interact with one another.”
During the Education Days, speakers give speeches on healthy lifestyles and the importance of the generation today. Students also practice giving speeches of their own and take part in interactive exercises to practice teamwork. At the end of the summer’s program, groups present a project on a healthcare topic of their choice to other employees and their supervisors.
Students who have shown exceptional work ethic in their department may even be hired at Kaiser Permanente.
To learn more, visit http://community.kp.org/be-informed/program/summer-youth-employment-program.
