CHA Offers Students Immersive Health Care Career Experience
Local teens explore professional medical opportunities through CHA's Career Pathways Program
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville and Boston's metro-north communities, recently hosted 19 young adults from the communities of Somerville, Everett, Malden, Cambridge, Revere, and Chelsea in an immersive health care career exploration experience. Participants in the CHA Career Pathways Program earned certifications in Teen Mental Health First Aid and CPR Basic Life Support and took part in professional development workshops focused on resume building and personal branding.
The program also provided valuable exposure to CHA's health care system, including a visit to its Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC), opportunities to engage with professional panels representing a range of clinical and administrative roles, and a field trip to CHA Cambridge Hospital's Operating Room. There, participants experienced hands-on learning with the DaVinci and Mako surgical robots and other advanced medical technologies; representatives from Intuitive, Stryker, and Medtronic also volunteered their time.
This initiative would not have been possible without the contributions of more than 50 CHA staff members from the CBHC, CHA Malden Care Center, CHA Cambridge Hospital, and CHA's Department of Community Health, who generously shared their time, expertise, and mentorship throughout the week. Funding for this program was made possible from the Cummings Foundation, and organized and coordinated through CHA's Department of Community Health.