For high school students across the Klamath Basin interested in pursuing a career in health care, the path from the classroom to a hospital career has become more hands-on than ever.
Photo: Klamath Union High School sophomore Maddysen Tippets, left, shows her family the new Klamath Regional Career & Technical Education Campus at Sky Lakes Medical Center during a campus showcase Wednesday.
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Students from Klamath Union High School and other area high schools gathered Wednesday at the newly renovated Klamath Regional Career & Technical Education (CTE) Campus at Sky Lakes Medical Center for an opportunity to see where their health care education will take place and learn more about the opportunities available to them.
The campus, located at 2200 N. Eldorado Ave. in Klamath Falls, is the result of a partnership between Sky Lakes Medical Center, Klamath Community College, Klamath Falls City Schools, Klamath County School District and educational partners throughout the Basin. The program provides high school students with college-level coursework, hands-on training and opportunities to earn professional certifications while still in high school.
During a tour of the facility, Sky Lakes Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Bryan Fix highlighted the collaborative nature of the project and the effort that has gone into creating a space that can grow with the program.
The renovated facility includes classrooms and hands-on laboratory space where students can practice clinical skills using medical equipment and training mannequins before eventually moving into clinical experiences at Sky Lakes.
“This was definitely a community build and a collaboration,” Fix said during the tour.
That collaboration includes Klamath Community College, Oregon Tech and other educational partners working alongside Sky Lakes to create a local pipeline into health care careers.
The program is designed to give students an opportunity to explore health care early while building skills that can translate directly into college and employment. Students can progress through courses such as Health Occupations, Medical Terminology, First Aid and other health-related classes before moving into specialized training such as the Nursing Assistant and Medical Assisting pathways.
For students enrolled in the Certified Nursing Assistant program, the new laboratory is already making a difference.
Ashleigh Carter, professional development instructor at Sky Lakes, explained the new space provides a dedicated location for students to learn and repeatedly practice the skills they will eventually need to demonstrate for certification.
“I’m excited to have a new lab,” Carter said. “Last year, I was using the lab over at OHSU in their basement. I was using a lab up on the fourth floor in the hospital and carting stuff back and forth.”
Carter joked that the new space means she no longer has to carry mannequins across the parking lot.
The training is designed to be rigorous, with students completing lecture, laboratory and clinical requirements before completing the program. Carter said students will spend the first semester focused on classroom and laboratory work before completing 40 hours of clinical experience at the hospital during the second semester.
Students will practice a wide range of skills before entering the clinical setting.
“We have 100 skills in here, and we will do a good majority of them before we go into clinical,” Carter said.
For Carter, however, technical skills are only one part of what makes a successful student.
“We are more interested in the heart and the desire to be here and the willingness to ask questions or ask for help if they start struggling,” Carter said.
That attitude is already evident among the students who have sought out the program.
Carter said there were more students interested in the CNA opportunity than the program could accommodate this year.
“There was still more that wanted it than we could get into it,” Carter said. “That means that it’s good.”
Klamath Union sophomore Maddysen Tippets was at the CTE Health Occupations Kick Off Wednesday with her family and is pursuing the health occupations pathway with hopes of entering the medical field.
Madison’s mother, Amanda, said they had heard about the program previously and were excited about the opportunities it could provide.
Through the health occupations pathway, students can earn college credit while in high school and work toward certifications that can help them enter the health care workforce. The broader program also includes opportunities for students to work at Sky Lakes while continuing their education.
For families, that connection between education and employment can make a significant difference.
Tippets and her family noted they have seen firsthand how Sky Lakes supports employees who want to continue their education, including opportunities for employees to have their schooling paid for as they pursue additional training.
The program also gives students a chance to see what a future in health care can look like before they graduate high school.
Students can begin exploring health occupations as early as their freshman year before progressing through the pathway and eventually moving into more advanced training. The program brings together high schools throughout the Basin, including Klamath Union, Henley, Lost River, Chiloquin and Bonanza.
"The goal is to create a pathway that allows students to remain connected to their local community while preparing for careers that are needed in the region," Fix said.
As students showcased the new facility to their families Wednesday, they were not simply being introduced to a new classroom. They were getting a look at a potential future workplace.
“We’ve learned a lot about education and we did not know,” Carter said. “And we are still learning more every day and they’re learning more about us too.”
Photo: Ashleigh Carter, professional development instructor at Sky Lakes Medical Center, left, speaks during a tour of the new Klamath Regional Career & Technical Education Campus at Sky Lakes Medical Center Wednesday.
Photo: Klamath Union High School Vice Principal Adam Randall, right, takes part in a discussion during a tour of the new Klamath Regional Career & Technical Education Campus at Sky Lakes Medical Center Wednesday.
