Harlandale High School students, including Alexander Rivas (front, center) recently participated in the Health Professions Workforce Development Summer Camp.
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Ever since he can remember, Alexander Rivas has had asthma. He’s spent many days in the hospital for treatments — even holidays. “We’ve been there for Easter, Christmas and New Year’s,” he said, “but we don’t let it get us down. On New Year’s Eve, we just opened the curtains and watched the fireworks on the Tower of the Americas.”

However, Rivas is not the only one in his family to fight chronic health problema. Rivas’ father died from leukemia, his stepfather passed away from a kidney tumor and Rivas was intimately involved in caring for his ill grandmother, who lived with his family until her death.

Winning essays opened the door
These early experiences piqued Rivas’ curiosity about the health professions. As a result, Rivas was one of 11 Harlandale High School students whose winning essays gave them the opportunity to find out more through the Health Professions Workforce Development Summer Camp @ University Health System, sponsored by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and University Health System, in collaboration with Harlandale Independent School District.

The weeklong summer program was a result of a study conducted through the Health Science Center’s South Texas Health Research Center. Center Director Roberto Villarreal, M.D., M.P.H., wanted to find out why more students from the south side of San Antonio were not pursuing health careers. “What we found was that the students were not aware of the health professions and what they have to offer,” Villarreal said.

Survey showed few health professionals on south side
No wonder. There are few signs of the medical professions on the south side. “As part of the study, we mapped where hospitals, doctor’s offices and clinics were located and there were very few in the Harlandale Independent School District,” he said. So, Harlandale High School was selected for a pilot project to expose motivated students to what the health professions have to offer.

Seeing health care professionals in action
Students rode school buses to the Texas Diabetes Institute and University Health Center Downtown to observe clinical and health care professionals at work. They heard presentations from a physician’s assistant, a registered dietician and an administrator. They also learned “do’s and don’ts” for job interviews and received coaching on how to write a resume. “A lot of minority students don’t know how to conduct themselves to get a job, how to sell themselves and how to prepare,” explained Christine Aguilar, M.D., M.P.H., coordinator of the program.

Start small
Dr. Villarreal added, “Many of the students we talked to felt they did not have the economics or parental support to go into medicine. We said, that is perfectly fine. Why not consider a two-year or three-year program, such as being a physician’s assistant? Or they can start as a dental assistant, then as they get more support and experience they can go higher.”

Returning to their communities
“What we ultimately hope will happen,” Aguilar said, “is that they will enter the health professions and then go back to work in their own communities.”

Dr. Villarreal said, “Many of us had a mentor, a professor or teacher who was an example for us. Many of these kids don’t have one, so we want to bring them into the health care system and also have the system go to them.”

He said many of the students now feel more enlightened about their opportunities and are more seriously considering careers in the health professions.

Rivas is one of them. He has been fortunate all along to have the support of his family and encouragement from his pediatrician to aim high. “At first I was thinking about respiratory therapy because of my asthma. But now I’m thinking about being a physician’s assistant or a pediatrician,” he said. “A lot of people were helping me when I was sick. Now I want to help other people.”