FORT WORTH, TX—
Eighteen-yea-old Cole Carrillo is on a career path that's taken him almost directly to Texas Health Forth Worth. He graduated from high school in May, then took part in a program called Prodigy.The hospital recruited Cole, and 24 other high school graduates, who were interested in a career in health care. Human Resources Vice President Bonnie Bell says the program is designed to get students in the nursing pipeline early. "Any degree that we can get more people interested in, get their education started, and get them successfully graduated is nothing but good," she said.
Cole took a ten-week course to become a Certified Patient Care Technician and now he gets paid to work part-time in the Palliative Care Unit. Texas Health also pays for his tuition at UT Arlington. He says his goal is to become a Certified Registered Nurse. "And that really did it for me. It was a life changing experience; it really just helped me get a head start on my dreams of nursing," said Cole.
The program allows Texas Health Resources to grow its own, rather than recruit out of state. Turning students like Cole into a nurse costs about $20,000. "But $20,000.00 dollars to create a nurse is pretty cheap these days," said Bell. "Because to go out and recruit one, you are probably looking at $40,000.00 or $50,000.00 to go out of state, and recruit a nurse, and bring them into Texas," Bell said.
Cole Carillo says he's not sure how he would have followed his dream without the Prodigy Program. Student loans are expensive, and there is no guarantee of a job upon graduation. "It was a huge blessing to me; at least it felt like it was a good reward for the work that we did this summer, but it also gave me a place to channel my information and thinking knowledge," he said.
And it doesn't hurt that when he finishes school, he's guaranteed a job in the Texas Health Resources system.
"Exactly," Cole said, "And that is one of the added bonuses."
