Pam Bushnell
For the Record
Local students exploring a career in healthcare can now take relevant courses and gain insights into the many job options in the field while still in high school through programs offered by Baptist Medical Center Nassau and Yulee High School.
The Tipping the Scale program introducing students to jobs in healthcare has long been an entity of Baptist Health Jacksonville. TTS expanded to Baptist Medical Center Nassau a little more than six years ago. Among other changes this school year, the local program has been fine-tuned to coordinate with medical skills courses now offered at Yulee High School.
TTS offers high school juniors and seniors enrolled in those courses an opportunity to spend three hours a month on the Baptist Medical Center Nassau campus learning about and visiting various departments at the hospital. Hospital visits are offered in a single three-hour block once a month. Students are paired with mentors who support life skills training. This school year mentorship was opened to community volunteers.
“I am grateful for our community partners and their continued support of Nassau’s students. Tipping the Scale provides opportunities for students to learn new skills, gain confidence and explore potential career opportunities. All of these things will prepare them for success beyond high school,” said Nassau County Schools Superintendent Kathy Burns.
The TTS program runs from September through April. During the summer, students are eligible to apply for paid internships at the hospital. Two internship opportunities of four weeks each are offered. Summer internships are optional.
Students who complete the courses are eligible upon graduation to apply for certification as nursing assistants. Graduates who want to continue their education may apply for scholarships. Available for the first time this year are scholarships for vocational school as well as four-year colleges. Scholarships can be as much as $5,000 per semester.
Kaylee Aguilar is a senior at Yulee High in her second year of Tipping the Scale. “I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but I didn’t know where,” said Aguilar.
She would be the first in her family to enter the healthcare field. The program helped her narrow down her interests, and she has decided to pursue a doctoral degree in pharmacology. She plans to apply for a scholarship. “I won’t be able to make it happen without a lot of scholarships.”
Sam Graves, also a senior at Yulee High in his second year of TTS, has an aunt who is a pharmacist. High school courses in psychology and neurology, however, shaped his current goal of becoming a neurosurgeon. He said he has especially benefited from the one-on-one mentoring aspect of TTS.
His mentor is Berry Ivy, current director of pharmacy at Baptist Nassau. This is Ivy’s second year as a mentor in the program. “I think it is crucial to exposure students to the hospital setting … so they see there’s more to it than being a nurse or medical doctor. I enjoy giving an hour of my day to maybe inspire a student.”
Registration of students and mentors for TTS is managed by Lena Ramsay, area director for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Nassau. Ramsay grew up in Nassau County and has taught at local high schools for 21 years.
Currently, 31 students participate in TTS. Mentor slots are still open. Students are paired with mentors by gender. In the past, mentors were selected from hospital employees, but that is no longer a requirement. Comm-unity volunteers are welcome.
Scholarships for TTS graduates are paid by private donors through an endowment managed by Baptist. Four students have already obtained four-year degrees with the help of these scholarships and six are attending school with their help.
Questions about the TTS program, mentoring or donating to the endowment may be directed to Gower at w.gower1946@outlook.com.