Posted: 4/30/2018
Innovative program may result in future doctors, nurses
As a child, Axel Juarez suffered from a kidney disease that often left him hospitalized. He carries with him vivid memories of being a frightened kid in a hospital room surrounded by his parents and the “fantastic nurses who helped make the experience just a little more bearable. Not a lot of people have great memories of hospitals and most would rather avoid them, but those nurses helped shape what I would pursue as my own career.”
Juarez is pursuing his dream as part of Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Rise to Success Youth Fellowship program. The innovative program recruits and trains recent high school graduates to become patient care assistants at Parkland. While working part-time at Parkland, participants continue their education through the Dallas Community College District to achieve a degree in the healthcare arena.
“This program provides a great opportunity for those who have an interest in a healthcare career but might not have had the opportunity or the resources to attend college,” said Gerard Camacho, MPA, JCDC, Parkland Academy’s Director of Career Development.
Juarez is one of 32 individuals currently enrolled in the Rise to Success program, with another 10 scheduled to join in May.
In his application for the program, Juarez wrote, “I want to be that nurse for a scared child and their parents, the one who helps alleviate some of the stress and fear that they may have. I want to help save a child’s life just like mine was over a decade ago.”
Currently working as a patient care assistant in the cardiology unit at Parkland and attending classes at Eastfield College with plans to enroll in nursing school at Brookhaven College to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, Juarez doesn’t plan to stop there. He’s set his sights on becoming a pediatric Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and “a leader in the medical field who inspires and trains future generations.”
“I’m aware that some of the changes I want made may go beyond my time, but I at least want to leave a lasting impact and legacy that changes the healthcare field for the better, not just for a child, but for everyone in need,” Juarez said. “That is my goal, that is my dream, and nursing is the pathway I have chosen to save lives and change the world.”
Ana Laureano describes herself as an “average student, average daughter, average talent.” But, she says, she does not have an average determination.
“I do not have the average dreams. I will bring change into the world. It will take time, but certainly it will happen,” she said.
Laureano, who is also part of the Rise to Success program, works weekends as a medical interpreter at Parkland and is in her second semester of nursing school. In her spare time, or what little of it there is, she’s become what she describes as “passionate” about planning and calendars. “I color code everything and when it says it’s time to go to the gym, I go to the gym,” she says, laughing.
Still, it’s that kind of determination that Laureano said will guide her in the future. As the second in her family to attend college – her mother is a teacher – the Rise to Success program “sounded too good” to be true. But she soon realized the Parkland program could help her achieve her goal of earning a BSN. From there, she’s contemplating enlisting in the military followed by medical school with thoughts of becoming a surgeon who specializes in operating on babies who are still in the womb.
“I set my goals high. I love learning and I’ve always been fascinated by how the body works,” Laureano said, noting that recently she’s also thought about becoming a cardiologist.
“Parkland’s Rise to Success program has opened doors for these futures leaders,” Camacho said. “They are incredibly bright and talented individuals who have set their sights on goals that, thanks to this program, are within reach.”
To learn more about how to become a part of Parkland’s team, please visit www.parklandcareers.com. For more information about services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com