Local Students Explore Healthcare Careers at Kaiser Permanente's Maui Lani Clinic
58 students from across Maui County, including 3 from Molokai, joined healthcare professionals at Kaiser Permanente’s Maui Lani clinic on November 15 for a Saturday morning filled with career exploration and hands-on learning. The event, organized by Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ program and Kaiser Permanente staff, was designed to introduce students to a variety of healthcare specialties through activities run by medical providers themselves.
"With healthcare comprising over 10% of Maui County's employment, MEDB is committed to supporting the growth of our local healthcare workforce, identified as a top priority by the Maui County Healthcare Partnership," said Ila Ferris, MEDB’s Healthcare Program Manager. "We're so grateful for our continuing collaboration with Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi to introduce students to the many career pathways available so they can thrive locally and contribute to the well-being of their community.”
The five specialties featured during the event were primary care, physical therapy, pharmacy, wound care, and phlebotomy. Students practiced skills like taking vital signs using a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff and drawing blood from a realistic silicone arm. At the physical and occupational therapy station, participants learned about human anatomy and exercises for recovering from sports injuries in Kaiser Permanente’s on-site gym. Students enjoyed a Jeopardy-style game to test their pharmacy knowledge, and the wound care station emphasized the importance of proper wound treatment using fruits to illustrate what wounds look and feel like during the healing process.
Students reflected on their own interests and possible career pathways after hearing about the experiences of the healthcare professionals involved in running the event. “I learned about being an internal medicine doctor and how there are many specialties you can branch off into,” noted Maui High School senior Jasmyn Yun.
“I really loved being able to get hands on and being able to talk with professionals in the medical field…for the short amount of time we had, I think it was really good,” commented Kody Manegdeg, a senior at King Kekaulike High School. “There’s way more to the medical field than just nurses and doctors,” he added.
“Building a strong physician and clinician pipeline for Maui starts long before college or medical school; it starts with exposure, encouragement, and opportunity, explained Dr. Chris Martin, the Associate Area Medical Director on Maui for Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi. “These career exploration days are another step toward ensuring our Valley Isle students see a place for themselves in the healthcare workforce.”
