Plumas Charter School partners with Plumas District Hospital and Quincy High School for the 2024 PHESI program, introducing students to diverse career paths within the local healthcare industry.

PHESI stands for Plumas Health Career Exploration Spring Institute, and is designed to provide college and career exposure to high school students interested in careers in healthcare. This is the third program year for PHESI at Plumas Charter School. The pilot program began in Quincy with Plumas District Hospital in 2022 and continued in 2023 in partnership with Seneca Healthcare District in Chester. 

"This course is designed to give students hands-on exposure to the multifaceted world of healthcare careers. We are delighted to collaborate across schools (PCS and QHS), and across town with our industry partner, Plumas District Hospital." said instructor and school nurse Danielle Wagner Plocki.

Nine high school students are participating this year. Three students from PCS and six from QHS. PHESI aims to inspire and guide the next generation of healthcare professionals by providing them with valuable insights, experiences and mentorship opportunities. In addition to classroom instruction, the teens will get to experience job-shadow rotations in the following professional fields; Laboratory, Respiratory Therapy, Imaging, Emergency Department, CareFlight, Physical Therapy, Acute Care Nursing, Primary Care Nursing, Dental, Infection Control, Dietetics and Clinical Education. 

In October 2023, the North Far North Regional Consortium published a feature article about the program. In the article, K-12 pathway coordinator Lisa Kelly said that, “This is the new school, this is how you get students excited and impassioned, by getting them in the context of their education with work-based learning.” The feature also included an interview with Darren Beatty, Chief Operating Officer of PDH. Beatty spoke about the demand for skilled and passionate individuals to fill a variety of roles in the healthcare industry and the recruiting challenges in a rural area, saying that the PHESI program is “worth the investment because we want people who want to be here and stay.” 

PHESI was launched with support from the Health Workforce Initiative Program and the K-12 Strong Workforce Program. Kelly explained that the K-12 Strong Workforce Program provides the resources to implement specific K-12 programming. That includes exposing students to opportunities in regional priority sectors, such as healthcare. “It is purposely aligned to college programs that will launch students into living-wage career opportunities with relevant skill sets,” she said. They provided initial supplies, resource materials and curriculum that the PCS program has built upon. If you would like more information, please contact:

Danielle Wagner Plocki, BSN, RN

School Nurse, CTE Patient Care Pathway Coordinator, Plumas Charter School

[email protected]