Torrance Adult School students get hands-on training with externships at local medical facilities
After successfully completing one of the three medical Career Technical Education programs (medical assistant, pharmacy technician, medical billing and coding) offered at Torrance Adult School, soon-to-be healthcare professionals must also complete an externship at a local medical facility before they receive their certification. TAS partners with a number of businesses to provide students this hands-on training opportunity, including the California Skin Institute (CSI), one of the largest physician-owned and controlled dermatology practices in the United States.
“We first partnered with Torrance Adult School just before the start of the COVID pandemic,” says CSI Regional Director Vanessa Stokes. “Every encounter we have had with Torrance Adult School students has been so pleasant. The type of education they receive from the school is not just textbook learning—like how to take vital signs or record a patient’s history—but their education is much more realistic.”
The school’s low-to-no-cost medical CTE courses are recognized in the region as reputable programs that produce high-quality candidates ready to join the local labor pool.
“They come with not just the hard skills to get the job done, but the soft skills to navigate working as a team or collaborating with co-workers, They are very well-rounded and have an amazing attitude to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Vanessa Stokes, California Skin Institute Regional Director
“They come with not just the hard skills to get the job done, but the soft skills to navigate working as a team or collaborating with co-workers,” Stokes says. “They are very well-rounded and have an amazing attitude to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Since the partnership began, CSI has hired five externs after they completed their required hours for the course, according to Stokes. She says two of those employees have since worked for the company for several years and are now either in leadership positions or on track to be promoted to supervisory roles. The other students that were hired from TAS’s program worked with the company for multiple years but eventually moved out of state. Stokes says the high-quality workers the company has recruited through the school have encouraged the company to maintain the partnership, and possibly even expand it in the near future.
“In our area of focus, the students seem to have a high knowledge of the trade and they are learning things from the school that sometimes we do not utilize, like echocardiography,” Stokes says. “I have collaborated with the teachers there and the tests are very stringent and the courses are quick, so there is no messing around and the students are dedicated to learning. You can tell because when the externs come here they know the questions to ask. This shows their competence and the willingness to continue to learn.”
TAS partners with a number of other medical facilities and pharmacies across the South Bay to help TAS graduates find employment. Some of those partners include Walgreens, CVS and the Urgent Care Center of South Bay.
For more information on how Torrance Adult School can help you achieve your goals, visit www.tusd.org/tas or call 310-533-4689.
Written by Whip Villarreal
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | Careers in Health Care |
