In an innovative partnership that blends education with practical work experience, the Roaring Fork School District and Valley View Hospital have come together to offer a unique opportunity for high school students. This program allows them to participate in a paid medical assistant apprenticeship, providing a significant head start into the medical field.

Seventeen students are currently benefiting from this apprenticeship, gaining experience across various departments including acute care, family birthplace, and ambulatory clinics such as Roaring Fork Family Practice, Wound Care Clinic and Women’s Health, among others. This diverse placement exposes students to a wide range of medical practices and patient care techniques.

This initiative was extended to students after seeing success with 24 employees who began their apprenticeship on Halloween of 2022. The apprenticeship is designed to equip students with essential skills for the medical field. 

“We created a program where we could take current employees who weren’t certified, who we usually hire and train on the job, and we’re able to roll them into this apprenticeship program and get them on the job training.” Valley View Health Director of Nursing Physician Operations Rachel Sollars said. “We hire them for entry-level positions such as a patient care technician, and they room patients, take vitals, do intake, and then we train them with the medical background that they need.”

With over 50 chapters in the curriculum, 23 of which cover anatomy and physiology, the apprenticeship aligns with the existing educational framework and allows students to become certified medical assistants.

“It works out great, because currently in high school, a lot of them have the ability to take a CNA program and they do that through their school. We’re doing it similar to that; we’re just training them here on what our clinical needs are,” Sollars said.

For students like Fernanda Ruiz, a senior at Roaring Fork High, the apprenticeship is more than just an educational opportunity: it’s a dream come true. 

“I’ve always wanted to get into nursing. With this opportunity, I feel like it just gets me a foot in the door with the medical field,” Ruiz said. “I’m very excited to have an opportunity like this because it’s just something that my parents never got the chance to do, and just seeing their faces and their reactions to me doing this … makes me feel really good about myself.”

Glenwood Springs senior Clara Lange shared similar sentiments.

“It’s been an incredible experience. We have only been doing it for a week now but I think it’s already boosted my confidence. I’m really on the path of being a nurse,” Lange said. The apprenticeship not only provides her with practical experience but also instills a sense of readiness for her future in nursing.

The apprenticeship program emerged from a collaboration facilitated by Erika Germer, pathways coach for Roaring Fork Re-1 Educational Pathways to Innovative Careers (EPIC) and partnership manager at CareerWise Colorado.

“I initially wanted to establish an internship where a Roaring Fork High School student could walk over to Roaring Fork Family Practice and have a semester-long internship and in doing so,” Germer said. “I was introduced to Rachel at Valley View Hospital, who was building an aprrenticeship program for medical asisstants. I was so impressed by the number of applicants, students who clearly recognized the benefits that registered apprenticeship provides.”

The partnership is a testament to the community’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals. 

“Through apprenticeships, internships and work-based learning, students can earn money while they’re learning outside the classroom,” Germer said. “They can apply what they’ve learned in the classroom, or maybe even never experienced in a classroom, to something that they find their own excitement and passion for as a longer-term career.”.

Sollars expressed her excitement for the future of the apprenticeship and partnership with the Roaring Fork School District going forward.

“Our hope is that we can turn this into a year-long program,” Sollars said. “For those heading to college, I really only have seven months with them before they head off to school. A year-long program would open the door for these students to learn so much more.”