Pima Medical Institute: Developing Lasting Community Partnerships and Creating Opportunities for High School Students across the Western US

Pima Medical Institute has been developing community partnerships since the birth of the medical career college back in 1972. And, one of its most innovative initiatives just might be its growing list of high school partnerships. Academic Partnerships Manager, Aimée Michaelis, MEd., has been an instrumental part of the Education Department, which has worked hard to develop strategic partnerships with high schools across the country.

“For students who are interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field, these partnerships are a way for them to see themselves moving on and succeeding, said Michaelis. “No student should view graduation as a finish line; it can be launch point to a satisfying career.”

The first of these partnerships began in 2017, with the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT). EVIT is Arizona’s first Career and Technical Education District with two campuses serving the East Valley of the Phoenix-Metro area. EVIT has more than 40 occupational training programs, with more than 10 in the Health Sciences division. Hundreds of students have been supported through the Pima Medical partnership, receiving knowledge through workshops and a pathway to post-secondary opportunities.

In 2018, Pima Medical formalized its partnership with the San Marcos School District and nonprofit, The San Marcos Promise. A non-traditional partnership, Pima Medical provides two high school coordinators who work daily with students from two traditional and one alternative high school in North San Diego County to support an already busy team of school counselors. From financial literacy workshops, to job interview skills, the high school coordinators provide a vital resource to students and parents.

In 2019, Pima Medical moved its High School partnership program to the Pacific Northwest with Sno-Isle TECH. Similar to EVIT, Sno-Isle TECH features many vocational trainings, including healthcare focused courses. The pathway to higher education opportunities provided by Pima Medical gives these students the chance to see themselves in careers that make a difference.

Just this year, Pima Medical added another Phoenix-area partnership with the Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC). West-MEC is a Career and Technical Education District with four campuses serving the Western and Northern Valley of the Phoenix-Metro area. West-MEC offers nearly 30 training programs, including six health science programs.

“This partnership is off to a strong start, and our team will provide financial literacy and career pathway workshops throughout the year,” said Michaelis. “This year has been particularly challenging for many students and our high school partners have welcomed our support as they navigate a new way of educating their students. Over the past few months, our team seamlessly transitioned to a remote platform and are providing workshops on a variety of college and career readiness topics.”

The mission of Pima Medical is to improve the quality of people’s lives by providing the best value in medical career education, and these partnerships are a natural match.

“The primary goal of these partnerships is to assist students as they transition from high school into post-secondary education,” said Fred Freedman, President and CEO, Pima Medical Institute. “Our partners share our commitment to the success of their students. Whether that means continuing their education into a traditional university, community college, CTE program or directly into the workforce, the support of our staff will help students as they navigate to life after high school.”

In addition to these active partnerships in Arizona, California and Washington State, Pima Medical is also building strong partnerships in Colorado, Texas and Montana.

Pima Medical believes private/partnership build communities and America’s workforce. For more information, please reach out Aimée Michaelis at amichaelis@pmi.edu.

For more information on Pima Medical Institute and the programs offered go to pmi.edu