The hospital benefits from being able to hire a diverse qualified workforce. Juniors enrolled in the Bio-Science and Health Careers Academy and meeting the attendance and academic standards are eligible to apply for this two year work and study program. The application process is designed to recognize student differences, but jointly established standards are in place for special education and regular education students. During the academic year, students attend classes in the morning and work at the hospital 3 hours a day. Their paycheck is from the hospital and they must accumulate a minimum of 1200 hours at the hospital during the 2 years and the summer between.
Students pick the departments they rotate through every ten weeks.
Workblocks defining the technical and applied learning experiences for each department were developed jointly. The hospital provides the services of job coaches working with students during each department rotation and mentors who work with one student through the entire program. Rotations and internship experiences are individually customized and can consist of as little as one experience in one department or up to seven rotations in different departments with a final, long-term experience in the department of their choice. The partnership represents a community effort to help raise academic standards and provides a look down a career path for inner city students. The connection between the hospital and the Bio-Science and Health Career Academy was established to give the students a look at the reality of the workplace, help teens apply their academics and earn a paycheck.