JAG-K
Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) focuses on jobs and careers in health care during the month of February. Recently, about 20 JAG-K students and staff from three different high schools spent an afternoon learning about career options at Stormont Vail Hospital as part of the recent Senior Days event in Topeka.
Students from Eudora, Goodland and Minneapolis visited Stormont Vail Health’s Topeka hospital facility. Stormont Vail also has facilities in Emporia, Junction City, and Manhattan. In all, Stormont Vail Health has more than 5,000 employees across 13 Kansas counties.
“We want to get in front of students to let them know that these options are out there,” said Terri Dean, senior talent acquisition partner. “We have an aging population, and we’re going to have a growing need for health care in our state. It’s very important for us to develop the next generation of employees for all the jobs needed in health care.”
Dean demonstrated various training tools used by healthcare professionals, including giving students a chance to interact with lifelike manikins. Several students simulated performing CPR on the manikins.
Students toured sections of the Topeka facility, learning about not just treatment programs but also support services such as facilities, laundry and food service.
“There are just so many jobs that might interest them,” Dean said. “So many times, when people hear the words ‘health care,’ they know nursing and they know doctors. But a hospital like ours is a complete city. There are positions that don’t require four-year degrees. Some of them require associate degrees. Some of them require training or certifications.”
Kylee Denison, senior at Minneapolis and one of the students on the tour, works in food service at a small hospital in central Kansas. She said the visit to Stormont Vail may spark interest in healthcare careers in JAG-K students.
“I come from a super small hospital, so coming to a hospital of this size, it’s kind of crazy to see all the floors and all the staff that it takes to make it work,” Denison said. “Coming here, I really learned a lot. This opens my eyes because there’s a lot more out there than you can imagine as a high school student.”
JAG-K provides opportunities for students to explore careers through employer engagement relationships. Those experiences may include field trips, job shadows, internships and summer or part-time employment.
JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. Participants in the program face multiple barriers to success that their JAG-K Career Specialist helps them overcome through a nationally-accredited, evidence-based model.