Texas Health’s new accelerated apprenticeship program to train patient care technicians launched Dec. 6 for two hospitals and will quickly expand to four more by the end of 2021.
“This program fulfills two important needs for Texas Health,” said Carla Dawson, chief people officer. “It creates career opportunities for diverse individuals who reflect the communities we serve and fills vital positions at our hospitals. We are excited to welcome new employees who are looking for an inclusive place to begin doing their life’s best work.”
The four-week program, developed by Texas Health Resources University, will give PCT students “the core curriculum and the priority skills to get them to the bedside,” said Candy Baptist, director of THRU’s career transformation center. “Other goals such as nursing and allied health are part of a career path they can add after they get to the bedside.”
The initial group has 28 students slotted for Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and five for Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth. They will do their classroom work at Texas Health Fort Worth.
“This program is such a great opportunity for these PCT apprentices as well as our hospital,” said Heather Cawood, B.S.N., R.N., nursing supervisor and program director, PCT apprenticeships. “The apprentices are very eager to be here and start their careers in healthcare. It truly has been a breath of fresh air, and I am excited to see where they go in their careers.”
The students, recruited from the community through job search sites and from within Texas Health, are already hired and will be paid for their classroom time. Dallas County College (DCC) instructors will teach via distance learning for the first three weeks, and THRU clinical educators will provide skills training for the last week. Tuition is provided by Texas Health through an agreement with DCC, and a U.S. Department of Labor grant covers books.
As part of orientation, the students will be introduced to My Career Journey (Fuel50), a career path tool available to all Texas Health employees. They will also be able to participate in other education programs, such as EKG and phlebotomy, depending on hospital needs. THRU educators will provide that training.
The second group of students will be for Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton.
That group will launch in mid-January with 40 apprentices sharing two training location hubs at Texas Health Arlington Memorial and Texas Health Denton.
Baptist said Texas Health Fort Worth has requested a new cohort every quarter.
“The program is nimble enough to cycle through all entities in 2022 based on workforce need,” said Mark Morales, vice president and chief learning officer. “It allows us to not only meet current needs but also build a healthcare workforce into the future.”
Posted December 7, 2021
(Pictured: New PCT apprentices heard from Texas Health Fort Worth leaders Dec. 6 as they began their journeys.)