As a child at her family’s medical appointments, Rocio Garduño Castañeda says she was often at the center of a back-and-forth stream of Spanish and English. She grew to enjoy translating the conversation between the doctor and her mother—and thought that someday, she might be the doctor in that scenario. Garduño Castañeda is now on the pre-med track at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
The student credits an innovative high school careers program at Nemours Children’s Health for helping her land a spot at this prestigious school of medicine.
Nemours and other medical institutions say they would love to enroll more bilingual candidates like Garduño Castañeda. In fact, they want more candidates, period. Nemours has developed a program to attract area high school students who want to gain hands-on experience as medical assistants and nursing assistants, while also receiving aid for education costs.
Delaware, like the entire nation, is facing a shortage of medical workers, and local leaders in the health care sector have sounded the alarm. As director of the public-private partnership Delaware Health Force, Tim Gibbs keeps a close eye on the issue. He recently co-published research that points to distinct shortages in the primary care, mental health, and dental fields.
Take nursing, for instance: This crucial industry has suffered shortages for years, Gibbs says. He cites factors including medical schools without enough seats or instructors, high stress on the job, low wages compared with those in neighboring states, and the increasing demand for more nurses as the population ages.
It doesn’t help that a significant portion of the population is missing from the field of potential medical workers.
Margaret LaFashia, director of workforce partnerships for Nemours, spearheaded the high school co-op program. It was inspired partly by her doctoral research on diversity in nursing—or the lack of it.
Statistics show that the vast majority of nurses are white (80% in 2022, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing), while there’s much more diversity among patients seeking treatment. This glaring disparity can affect patient satisfaction, LaFashia says.
So, why aren’t more minorities serving in medical roles? It’s a bit jarring to describe it that way, but the numbers indicate certain barriers might keep people out.
LaFashia attributes various factors, such as the exorbitant cost of medical school and a lack of familiarity with the career path. Her program aims to turn that around and open up opportunities while also helping Nemours attract more promising young people to medical careers.
Participants get to see what life is like in a hospital or clinical setting, and they can ask questions of the staff and learn how they advanced in their careers, she explains. It’s also a chance for high school students to see if the health care field is a good fit for them, she says, rather than paying for three years of college then discovering it’s not.
For those who find medicine is their match, Nemours provides a tuition-assistance program to help them reach their goals. While students start as entry-level medical or nursing assistants, many are looking to advance, LaFashia notes, and Nemours hopes they will return after they earn their degrees. “We want them to be pediatric nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, physicians, anesthesiologists—whatever they want to be. But they have to start somewhere.”
The advantage of the Nemours program is that students are placed in meaningful roles, adds Justin Comegys, principal at St. Georges Technical High School in Middletown (formerly the principal at Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington). Both schools are partnering with the Nemours program.
“That’s one of the key components of why the Nemours relationship has been so successful and has been great for our students. …They’re not just going there to work. They’re going there to learn, and they’re being put in positions where they can learn,” he says. “They’re not being held back and kept on the sidelines.”
Students get to check vital signs, use the electronic medical record system, call pharmacies and fill prescriptions, talk to insurance companies, and even administer shots. “[They] learn what it means to give a vaccination to a kid [who’s] moving around and squirming,” LaFashia says. “And you’re not only dealing with the patient, but you’re also learning how to interact with a family member.”
Garduño Castañeda served as a medical assistant at Nemours’ Pike Creek location, where she says the staff made her feel at home. “I feel like everyone was really supportive, and that made me feel comfortable to ask questions.”
She describes a wide range of experiences working with patients and their families, and even at the front desk. Though she was worried people wouldn’t trust her because of her age, Garduño Castañeda learned that if she showed confidence, patients would, in turn, show confidence in her.
Nemours was previously hesitant about working with students younger than 18, but the organization realized that age didn’t have to be a barrier, LaFashia says. She modeled this program after one at Boston Children’s Hospital and is enthusiastically spreading the word in Delaware and beyond.
If you’re from Delaware, you know Nemours, Comegys notes, and many young people have been patients there at some point. The program is competitive, and kids are excited about the opportunities, he says. “Their interest in lifting our students I think really encourages them to want to be a part of that organization.”
Recently, a second official cohort of students finished their nine-month co-op at Nemours, and “the results have been striking,” LaFashia says. The first group comprised mostly bilingual students, and all stayed connected with Nemours in some capacity.
“I feel like it was one of the major parts of why I was accepted [into Johns Hopkins] in the first place,” Garduño Castañeda says. “Having the job experience there, I think that helped a lot, especially with the recommendations from the manager.”
She’s enjoying her classes at Johns Hopkins so far, despite how stressful they can be, and is leaning toward ultimately becoming a surgeon.
LaFashia says that if Garduño Castañeda eventually decides to return to Nemours, “We will welcome her with open arms.”
Related: 15 Alternative Wellness Practices to Try in Delaware
