The Lodi Adult School offers several pathways to a medical career, with more in the works
As part of a unified effort to address the ever-growing need for healthcare professionals, the Lodi Adult School works to provide ample opportunities for students looking to enter the field.
Julie Jansen, the school’s principal, says it is the career technical education (CTE) center of the Lodi Unified School District. As such, Lodi Adult School offers a variety of classes and programs to its students.
One student to take courses at the Lodi Adult School is 47-year-old Chhonda Roy. Originally from Bangladesh, Roy came to the U.S. in 2020 and was directed to the adult school by her daughter and sister.
“I was a teacher back home so I was pretty confident in my English,” Roy says. “But as you can understand I was nervous, I’m not really a talker but more of a listener.”
“We have lots of different programs that we offer our community here and we’re continuing to grow.”
Julie Jansen, CTE Director & Principal, Lodi Adult School
After taking some initial English classes to sharpen her skills, Roy says one of her teachers encouraged her to pursue some of the allied health classes at the school. Roy found herself enjoying the courses, and currently works as a medical assistant at a clinic in Stockton.
“I’m grateful to that teacher and I’m grateful to the Lodi school for their encouragement,” Roy says. “I’m very happy to take these classes and if I get more opportunities then I’d like to take them.”
There are also plans to expand and offer more courses for aspiring healthcare professionals. Jansen says part of this expansion comes from her work with the Advisory Board for Healthcare Partners Northern San Joaquin Valley—an employer driven Health Care Sector Partnership.
“That’s multi-region now, so we are partnering with them,” Jansen says. “We are looking at providing CPR classes for those incumbent workers in our community.”
Community healthcare workers is another area Jansen says the school wants to look at and is confident there will be more to come as planning progresses.
“Adults are also able to take those CTE classes with our high school students,” Jansen says. “We have lots of different programs that we offer our community here and we’re continuing to grow.”
Key programs she noted are those aimed at potential healthcare professionals, with Jansen pointing to the dental assisting program as an example.
“We actually have a large amount of adults in that program right now and those adults are students who are preparing for the dental assisting field,” Jansen says. “They are certified when they leave here to work in a dental office, and then they also receive their X-ray certification.”
Certification is provided in a separate course on dental radiation safety. The 80-hour course is approved by the California Dental Board and includes practice on manikins and actual patients.
Jansen says the program also has an externship component, with many students hired right after the 10-month program ends.
Another program for aspiring healthcare professionals is the medical assisting program. Jansen says there is a 10-month course for K12 students and an accelerated 19-week nighttime program for adults.
Other options include a certified nursing assistant program and an emergency medical response (EMR) course. The former program prepares students to successfully complete certification to work as a nursing assistant in California while the latter focuses on teaching the necessary EMR skills and how emergency medical technicians respond to critical situations.
The Lodi Adult School benefits from state funding for English Language Learner (ELL) healthcare education, and is the fiscal lead for that grant in partnership with the Stockton School for Adults and the Tracy Adult School. The schools are part of the San Joaquin Adult Education Consortium, a partnership of educational institutions dedicated to supporting the educational and economic success of adult learners in the San Joaquin Delta Community College District service area.
For more information about healthcare career training and other programs at Lodi Adult School, visit adulted.lodiusd.net/. To learn about more adult education opportunities in the area, visit the San Joaquin Adult Education Consortium’s website at sjadulted.org.
Written by Jacob Peterson
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Central California | Careers in Health Care |
