Rochester General Health System
Rochester General Hospital Youth Apprenticeship Program Celebrates 20 Years of Success
Program prepares City School District Youth for Careers in Healthcare
Rochester General Hospital staff and officials tomorrow will celebrate the successful completion of the hospital’s Youth Apprenticeship (YAP) program by 13 Rochester City School District students. This year’s celebration marks the 20th anniversary of a highly successful program that has now provided a unique healthcare career experience to more than 500 area students, 50 of whom are now employed at Rochester General The graduation ceremony will take place at 1:30 pm, in the Twig Auditorium at RGH.
Since 1989, students from the Rochester City School District (RCSD) have been recruited into the two- year program, part of Rochester General’s School to Work Department. The schools currently participating in the program include Benjamin Franklin, East, John Marshall, Monroe, and Freddie Thomas high schools. To participate in the program, students must meet the criterion of a minimum 2.5 grade point average (Preferably a 3.0) and 94% attendance with no suspensions, as well as demonstrate an interest for careers in health care. Candidates are also made aware of the nursing scholarships that Rochester General makes available to help employees become Registered Nurses and for other advanced training and certification that will help further their careers.
Each year, 90% to 100% of School-to-Work graduates go on for further education. Many students are the first in their families to graduate from high school, and many more are the first to go on to college. Students enrolled in college are encouraged to take part-time employment, as available, with the hospital during school breaks and summer vacations.
Accepted students spend their mornings in school, and then come to Rochester General Hospital for on-the-job training at a stipend of $7.15/hour. Over their junior and senior years they attain approximately 1,200 hours of paid training. Most students rotate through several departments for 10 weeks at a time. The program currently partners with 22 hospital departments. Students are assigned job coaches and are evaluated upon completion of each work block.
Participants also benefit from working with a mentor, often one of their departmental job coaches, who remains involved with the student throughout the program. They initiate the student into the workplace culture; counsel the student regarding career directions, school, personal, or work issues; monitor the students’ learning on the job and in the classroom; and evaluate the students’ progress.
Graduates of the program are eligible for a Certificate of Employability and receive a Health Care Youth Apprentice diploma, which will help them obtain higher education and/or employment. Most graduates of the program go on to higher education, often continuing to work part-time at Rochester General and in other health care positions in Rochester as they pursue their medical studies.
“Growing Our Own” Nursing and Health Care Workforce
The Youth Apprenticeship program directly addresses the community’s need for health care workers, and particularly the shortage of nurses. Rochester General Hospital currently employs 50 graduates. Of these, 10 are either Registered Nurses/LPN’s or enrolled in nursing school to become RNs. Two program graduates are employed as Radiology Technician Assistants and are studying to become Radiology Technologists, another hard-to-fill position.
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