BayCare Health System partnered with CareerSource Tampa Bay to provide a six-week work-based learning program at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. The initiative gave 12 students interested in health care careers hands-on experience within a hospital setting.
During the program, participants shadowed health professionals and observed patient care activities, gaining practical insights into teamwork and communication in the medical field. This blend of classroom instruction and real-world exposure aimed to help students develop essential skills for future health care roles.
Tylea Calhoun, who recently graduated and is set to attend the University of South Florida, reflected on her experience: “Just seeing everybody come from all the different floors, take their turn, check on the patient, communicate and come together to help the patients is something I’m going to take away.” Calhoun said that witnessing collaboration among staff demonstrated what it means to be part of a health care team.
Cindy Zhuang, a junior at Boca Ciega High School, noted how the program influenced her career aspirations. “My career goals definitely changed—but for the better,” she said. “It made me want to do more in medical and see the different areas.”
Anh Suzuki from Largo High School found value in learning about diverse career paths within BayCare: “I found out there are so many ways to get where you are—whether you want to be a physician or a radiology tech, there are many routes with BayCare,” she said.
Raymond Duong, another student from Boca Ciega High School, highlighted key lessons from his time in the program: “This opportunity deepened my understanding of the medical profession and made me realize how important patient communication, compassion and teamwork are for working with patients and colleagues.”
Scott Smith, president of St. Anthony’s Hospital, emphasized early engagement as vital for workforce development: “It’s critical for us to identify talent early so we can get them engaged, exposed to BayCare and hopefully tracked into our development pipelines.”
Keidrian Kunkel, president of CareerSource Tampa Bay added: “We certainly have many talented youth who are interested in health care, and we’re excited to use our resources to help guide them along their career pathways.”
Kristen Lefkimiotis, nurse manager at St. Anthony’s Hospital shared her perspective as both mentor and former beneficiary: “When I was in nursing school, CareerSource helped pay for my nursing board exams,” she said. “So it’s really special for me to mentor Cindy here in my department and give back to an organization that once gave to me.”
BayCare offers various opportunities such as internships, shadowing programs and Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs designed to encourage local talent toward careers in health care.
“This is a great partnership with CareerSource and BayCare,” Smith stated. “We hope to continue to grow and expand it so students can get even greater access and exposure to potential career paths.”
The collaborative effort aims not only at developing individual students but also at strengthening the region’s future health care workforce by investing in community-driven education initiatives.
