The Sheldon Foundation, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation have awarded Chautauqua Works Workforce Investment Board a grant to support building a healthcare talent pipeline for the local region. In addition to working with local school districts to create awareness of healthcare careers at the high school level through a career fair at UPMC Chautauqua, this program will also offer an internship component for college students.

“This is our ninth year being able to offer internships specifically for direct patient care in the healthcare field to increase awareness of and interest in our local job opportunities.” said Katie Geise, Executive Director. “Internship programs are a great opportunity for college students to gain experience, but this specific program is also a great opportunity for healthcare related businesses to start building connections with our future workforce. We have a need to fill healthcare jobs locally, and we need to start building relationships between students and employers now.”

Emily was a 2019 participant in the Healthcare Career Advantage Internship. She did her internship at UPMC Chautauqua and had this to say about her internship: “It wasn’t until spring semester of my junior year of college that I found out about the Chautauqua Works Internship program at UPMC Chautauqua. I was ecstatic to hear that I could get hands on experience with doctors, nurses, radiologists, cardiologists, and most importantly for my sake, physician assistants. I applied for the internship, went to Chautauqua works for my interview, and then began my shadowing experience! The internship wasn’t anything short of amazing. The knowledge I gained from this experience I could not have received anywhere else. I learned so much about the medical field while also learning what I did and did not like. Without this internship I may not have decided to stick with my career path in the medical field, but now I know that is the for sure path for me. The hours I gained from this experience will help me get into the graduate school of my dreams and I am forever grateful. I encourage anyone interested in the medical field to experience the internship through Chautauqua Works because it will certainly provide a positive outcome. “

If you would like to read more amazing testimonials from other Interns about the Healthcare Career Advantage Talent Pipeline Development Program, please visit www.chautauquaworks.com and click on the ENET Tab.

Currently, the internship program is seeking college level applicants that are interested in gaining more experience in the healthcare field while also being interested in having a career locally. The application was released on March 13. The program will place interns at host organizations for approximately six weeks. The timing is flexible based on student’s availability and the employer’s need.

If you are a current college student or recent graduate interested in a direct patient care career, visit www.chautauquaworks.com and click on the ENET tab to find instructions on how to apply for the 2020 Healthcare Career Advantage Internship, or contact Jody Cheney at jcheney@chautauquaworks.com or at (716) 487-5171. The deadline to apply for this internship program is Monday, April 6.