Training a New Generation of Medical Specialists in Rural Louisiana
When Chris Spears graduated from Avoyelles High School in Moreauville, LA (about 70 miles northwest of Baton Rouge) in 2019, he knew that he wanted to enter the healthcare field, but he didn’t have all the resources he needed for success.
Chris was a standout high school student. He was praised by School Board Member Chris Robinson for completing a Jumpstart Summer Dual Enrollment program through Central Louisiana Technical Community College. He also had a passion for music; he won state competitions and talent shows.
Living with his aunt, a nurse, and helping to take care of his dying grandmother nurtured his interest in healthcare.
After graduating, Chris hit a rough patch in his personal life. “I lost everything except my car,” he recalled. Then, Chris worked as a travel Certified Nursing Assistant, assigned to New York, and also Texas. But he wanted a more stable work environment, closer to home.
Chris Spears with his mom, Clarice Franklin, who encouraged him to apply to Propel America.
He was already thinking about applying to Propel America. Looking back, Chris credits his mother, Clarice Franklin, for encouraging him. He said, “She always taught me that anything is possible if you keep your faith and hold your head high.”
She sent him some information about Propel’s fellowship, a tuition-free accelerated training program for aspiring medical assistants and sterile processing technicians (SPT). Chris decided to enroll in Propel’s short and more specialized SPT pathway.
Sterile processing is a crucial function in preparation for surgery. SPTs clean, disinfect, assemble, store, and distribute tools throughout the hospital for use from basic procedures to trauma surgeries. They ensure that there are adequate supplies for surgery. They clean instruments using both manual and mechanical techniques.
Some tools have to be cleaned in very specific ways using precise steps and specialized equipment. Instruments and sterilizing equipment have to be inspected for any damages to ensure they are working properly and can be reused.
One of the most appealing aspects of the SPT position for Chris was the mystery surrounding it. “Not too many people know about what happens behind the scenes,” he acknowledged. “We handle the tools before and after surgery. The things that we do save lives.”
“Propel helped me strategize how to balance school and work, helped me understand planning, time management, how to have a determined mindset, growing and developing a more mature outlook.”
In the Sterile Processing Technician program that Chris completed, Propel partners with Baton Rouge Community College to offer a tuition-free, one-semester academic and clinical training pathway. The two courses required for completion of the program take place at BRCC’s Acadian Baton Rouge campus.
While participating in the academic and clinical training Fellows receive support from Propel in the form of 1:1 coaching, professional development training, and job preparation guidance.
Chris described some of the challenges he faced while enrolled, such as transportation, which can be a barrier to many aspiring students in rural communities. His program was based in Baton Rouge, but he lives in Simmesport, an hour-plus commute. That’s why he was so grateful that Propel offers assistance in the form of stipends, to help with gas and other transportation-related expenses, workplace appropriate attire, and other necessities.
He said, “It really means a lot to get the stipend. I was the furthest out - I had to drive an hour and 20 mins each way, so that helped me a lot.”
He pointed to the externship that Propel’s fellowship includes. He formed a great relationship with his instructor, Deanne Simmons, a Supervisor at Franciscan Missionaries Our Lady Health System, Propel’s employer partner in the region. “Miss Dee,” as Fellows called her, appreciated Chris’s cheerful personality and knack for making her laugh.
Chris also praised his Propel Success Coach, Sydney Canfield. He said, “She always checked in with me to make sure I was okay and kept open lines of communication. She made me feel like I was the leader of the class. I started to treat my classmates like family, and it was so important to build that relationship with them. We would all meet up after clinicals and talk about how our day was.”
Chris Spears with his Propel cohort, as well as Dr. Eboni Saurage (at left), BRCC Surgical Tech Program Director; Propel Coach Sydney Canfield (at right), and Propel Director of Growth Strategy, Jamie McClung (second from left), at the Baton Rouge Community College completion ceremony.
All Propel Fellows receive wrap-around, tech-enabled support from certified Propel coaches and admissions team members. Propel coaches partner with Fellows through every step of their fellowship journey, from day one through six months after the date of hire.
Coaches lead weekly professional development sessions to help ensure Fellows are equipped with the technical competences, as well as the patient-centered, skill-building, and collaborative mindset required to succeed in the healthcare workplace. They partner with Fellows to create support plans and provide resources when needed.
Chris receiving the Clinical Award at Baton Rouge Community College
Chris reflected on professional skills he was able to hone, noting, “Propel helped me strategize how to balance school and work, helped me understand planning, time management, how to have a determined mindset, growing and developing a more mature outlook.”
Another important role that coaches play is facilitating weekly meetings with peers for support, and to build a sense of community.
Chris described the close bond that he was able to form with his classmates, as a result of these Propel coach-facilitated gatherings. He’s especially proud of the fact that, among his cohort, “just about everybody has finished together.”
Chris’s coach notes that when one of his fellow students was involved in a car accident, Chris picked her up to bring her to her clinicals. Chris’s motivation, in his own words: “No classmate be left behind.” He added, “We’re a class that will stick together, because the class sticks together, passes together.”
Chris began the Propel fellowship in August and finished in December. He started his new job with Propel employer partner Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady of the Lake Health System even before the program completion ceremony.
Nearly half of Chris’s cohort of Fellows have already been hired only weeks after program completion. They are part of the largest graduating class of SPTs at BRCC.
During the BRCC graduation ceremony, Chris won the school’s prestigious Clinical Award. At 23, with a new job, he plans to become an RN. And no one should doubt he can do it. His advice to others: “Never let your obstacles be your stopping point. Always keep going.”
Propel is grateful to BRCC and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, for helping us provide work-based learning opportunities to address critical talent shortages in Louisiana’s rural communities and for believing in more choice-filled lives for our Fellows.
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