Tuesday, December 6, 2022
When Jake Elliott was a sophomore at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids, he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do post-high school. Today, he’s in his final year of medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Central Wisconsin Campus in Wausau. Recently, Jake shared how he went from not knowing to knowing the right pathway for him.
Back in high school, Jake was a little hesitant to go into healthcare. Growing up, he got a lot of exposure to the trades and building things, but he was not familiar with healthcare. Still, he realized he enjoyed his basic science courses, like biology and human anatomy. When he saw a poster in the hallway promoting the Central Cities Health Institute (CCHI) health careers pathway program, it got him thinking healthcare might be a good fit for him.
Kathy Jarosinski, CCHI coordinator and Jake’s health science teacher at the time, thought it was a good fit, too. He had a lot going for him. She was impressed by his academic transcripts, his ease when speaking to adults, his calm, and his kindness. Plus, as a male, Jake was a nontraditional student in a health science pathway. She was excited! It’s no surprise Jake applied and was accepted into the CCHI program.
CCHI courses such as Medical Terminology, Medical Law and Ethics, and Nursing Assistant helped convince Jake that he was on the right path. “I really enjoyed the courses and thought that they were a huge foundational piece for going into the healthcare field,” he says. Plus, “I always saw myself as a communicator. I like to talk and have relationships with people.”
Even though being a male in a traditionally female pathway was a potential barrier, teachers like Mrs. Jarosinski, who could see his strengths, made the difference. And she helped him recognize his strengths, too.
In addition to his CCHI coursework, attending HOSA-Future Health Professionals conferences allowed Jake to connect with peers and have fun participating in HOSA competitions, such as sports medicine, HOSA Bowl, and a pathophysiology exam. These helped him gain the confidence and validation needed to pursue a healthcare path. As his CCHI program came to an end, he was able to figure out a handful of specific health careers he was really interested in.
When asked what his path would have looked like without the CCHI program, Jake said, “I would have been forced to spend a lot more time in my first couple years of undergrad, searching for what I wanted to do. And that would have prolonged my undergraduate education.”
Getting his nursing assistant certification in high school enabled him to get firsthand experience with patients as an undergrad. He speaks highly of the career-based learning experiences he had as an undergraduate. Some of his job shadows had him thinking of changing his major to education. That is, until he shadowed a Wisconsin Rapids pediatrician and saw firsthand the role of a physician. It was a turning point. He fell in love with pediatrics and never looked back.
Reflecting on his journey, he would tell his 17-year-old self to “try not to make mountains out of mole hills, take your problems in stride.” He also has this advice for any high school students wanting to pursue healthcare: “Though the path to healthcare can be a long one and inherently stressful, it is also incredibly rewarding because you get to form relationships with patients and family members, and other healthcare workers.” And, he adds, “It’s not as long of a road as you think it is.”
Finally, Jake feels more males might enter the pathway sooner if they had the chance to see the inside of a hospital and speak with different healthcare professionals at a young age.
Jake attributes the CCHI Career and Technical Education program with the experiences that helped him successfully find his passion and pursue his academic and career plan to become a physician. A 2021 Aspirus Scholar, Jake’s journey will continue into a residency after graduating from medical school.
—Submitted by Christina Patrin, Health Science Education Consultant, Wisconsin HOSA Advisor, Career and Technical Education, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction