Each February, Job Corps participates in the Groundhog Job Shadow initiative, which encourages students across the country to shadow professionals working in in-demand industries and giving them an opportunity to observe and learn in an environment outside of the classroom. Typically, students from Blue Ridge Job Corps would make trips to a variety of health care facilities to shadow employees in person. This year, out of an abundance of safety precautions due to COVID-19, this year’s job shadowing went virtual, and included two guest speakers.
Tonya Disanto is the Human Resources Manager for Abingdon Health & Rehabilitation (AHR) in Abingdon, VA. This facility provides “a sanctuary of rehabilitation, long-term, and respite care” to Abingdon and the surrounding community. As guest speaker she touched on a variety of topics, including an overview of their facility, their response to COVID-19, and potential employment opportunities for Blue Ridge students. AHR has also been a terrific work-based learning partner for the past several years, allowing students to complete internships as nursing assistants or medical administrative assistants. “We have missed having Job Corps students being here over the past year, and we are looking forward to having you back very soon,” Disanto stated.
Joining us from Smyth County Community Hospital was Registered Nurse Tina Allison. She provided a terrific overview of the numerous departments at SCCH, employment opportunities, and what they are looking for in their employees. “One of the simplest things that we look for in our employees is showing up on time. This shows us that you are excited to be here and your job and patients are important to you,” explained Allison.
Blue Ridge Job Corps Work-Based Learning Coordinator stated, “Groundhog Job Shadow is something that our students and I look forward to every year, and even though it had to be different than usual, we wanted to make sure that the tradition continued. We are thankful to both Tonya and Tina helping us bring the job shadow to us, since we could not come to them.”