Health Care: A Future Career Path for Young Students

Keith Swinney, President and CEO, Baptist Medical Center spent time with high school juniors and seniors discussing a career in health care. He was invited to talk as part of the Good Samaritan Community Services (GSCS). The GSCS is providing Summer Employment and Work Readiness services to 815 youth, ages 14 to 18, with funding from the 2009 Economic Stimulus and Recovery Act, and through the GSCS contract with Workforce Solutions Alamo. This month pre-employment conferences held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church featured 34 labor market information presentations and 33 work site tours into the community, and increased awareness of career pathways for hundreds of young people. They are now on their way to their first summer job.

Keith offered advice on some of the many career opportunities that health care has to offer and told how he got into the field at age 22. He mentioned how healthcare is one of the top three industries in San Antonio. According to BioMedSa, San Antonio’s well established community of healthcare and medical service providers -- including hospitals, physicians, other specialty providers and nursing homes – form a strong foundation for the city’s $16.3 billion Healthcare and Bioscience Industry.

Jill Oettinger, Chief Executive Officer, Good Samaritan Community Services says, "We are so grateful to the Baptist Health System for helping us to meet the needs of youth who are living in poverty, by introducing them to the real world of work. With that support, we are witnessing the lives of young people change as they develop work readiness skills and overcome barriers to success." View Pictures