Building a More Diverse and Highly Skilled Healthcare Workforce in Philadelphia
In June and September, Propel America held kick-off events in Philadelphia welcoming our new Summer and Winter 2023 cohorts of fellows training to become Medical Assistants. In just ten months from now, Fellows can be hired full-time by our employer partners to help welcome patients to clinics, take vitals, perform emergency procedures, administer medications, and much more.
At the kick-off events, incoming Fellows heard from Propel’s leadership and from one of its employer partners, Penn Medicine, about Propel’s mission, and the skills and benefits they can expect from the program.
At Propel America’s welcome events in Philadelphia, incoming Fellows heard from Propel’s leadership, including Chad Rountree, CEO, and Patty Diaz-Andrade, Chief Program Officer, and from one of its employer partners, Penn Medicine, represented by Samantha Foster, Senior Recruiter.
Propel CEO Chad Rountree congratulated newly accepted students for taking this transformative step in their lives. He spoke about empowering young adults with the skills, credentials, experiences and the networks to earn a living-wage job with opportunity for advancement.
He also shared his own background, inspired by a teacher to pursue a successful career in the culinary industry before shifting to becoming an educator.
Rountree encouraged fellows to “fully commit yourself to this experience,” and take advantage of the “incredible team” of Propel coaches who are here to support them.
“[Each of] you knows that the communities filled with Brown and Black people often don’t have people who look like them when they show up in hospitals and healthcare facilities. That’s why YOU are critical… to ensure that we are showing up for the folks who live in our communities, to ensure that they are seeing folks who understand what their needs are.”
Qua’eesa Conley-Davis, Propel Fellow (Fall ‘22 cohort)
Propel’s Chief Program Officer Patty Diaz-Andrade also joined in the conversation, adding that Propel can be an alternative career pathway for those who might not choose to attend college immediately after high school.
She told them: “What Propel says to you is, we understand that and we’re going to get you on a path to certification that gives you economic freedom. And guess what, college is still there. You can still decide to pursue a college degree. This is the step toward that.”
Diaz-Andrade explained why Propel focuses on the healthcare industry, which has a growing employment gap, and the newly admitted students’ critical role in increasing the representation of people of color in medical fields.
“[Each of] you knows that the communities filled with Brown and Black people often don’t have people who look like them when they show up in hospitals and healthcare facilities. That’s why YOU are critical… to ensure that we are showing up for the folks who live in our communities, to ensure that they are seeing folks who understand what their needs are.”
Building and filling a more diverse and highly skilled pipeline for the medical profession is a top national priority, and Propel America is an important post-secondary education program serving as a catalyst for change.
Fellows also heard from Samantha Foster, Senior Recruiter with Penn Medicine, a major hospital system based in Philadelphia, and one of Propel’s employer partners.
Foster told the new cohort of medical assistants that her organization especially values Fellows’ ability to learn not just the clinical skills, but the people skills they will need to provide the high level of “patient care that we deliver.”
The energy in the room was filled with high, filled with hope and anticipation of what was to come for the 70+ Fellows who began the journey.
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