Kaiser Permanente Recruits Local Students for Summer Job Training and Educational Opportunities

picture caption: Students learn how to take vital signs and challenge themselves with a team building exercise.

School may be out, but for some motivated students summer plans include a challenging and fulfilling opportunity to work in the health care and medical field.

For the 48th year, Kaiser Permanente is hosting KP LAUNCH. Hundreds of students aged 16-20 will work in paid internships at its medical centers throughout California.

In the Diablo Area, 10 students will work in various departments at the Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Antioch and Walnut Creek. They have already been selected from a competitive pool of applicants and represent schools from: Clayton Valley Charter, Connections Academy, Deer Valley High School, Dublin High School, Las Lomas High School and Ygnacio Valley High School. The students began their paid internships on June 13.

The program runs eight weeks and students will work in areas such as: health education, administration, clinical pharmacy operations, technology, emergency department, health sciences, public affairs and allergy, dermatology, head and neck surgery. In addition to working 40 hours a week, students will also participate in regular educational day sessions. They will cover topics including public speaking, financial literacy and career planning. They will also meet once a week with an ROP instructor to learn medical terminology, how to read vital signs and participate in a mini- CPR course. The students will also take tours of the hospitals and various Kaiser Permanente facilities.

The goal of the program is to build and sustain a diverse, culturally competent workforce for the future.

Since it started in 1968, KP LAUNCH, (formerly called the Summer Youth Employment Program), has been a valuable tool for teaching students about the work force. Some graduates of the program have even returned to Kaiser Permanente as either full- or part-time employees.

For more information about KP LAUNCH, visit http://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/ncal-launch/