MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Melissa Gutierrez is gaining hands-on experience at Valley Children’s Hospital while earning a paycheck through the hospital’s paid internship program.<\/p>\n
“So a paid internship, where you get to like get a head start to your career while getting paid, is just incredible and incredibly necessary for students,” Gutierrez said.<\/p>\n
Valley Children’s Chief People Officer Kelly Beall said the program helps introduce students to nontraditional career opportunities within healthcare through the hospital’s wide range of departments.<\/p>\n
“It’s really important to make sure that people see that you can be a part of something meaningful and build a career in healthcare, even if you’re not a clinician,” Beall said.<\/p>\n
Beall said internship opportunities are available in several areas, including human resources, marketing and communications, and information technology.<\/p>\n
“We have opportunities across human resources. We have them in marketing communications. It is a big one, so getting talented IT professionals,” Beall said.<\/p>\n
According to Valley Children’s, internships are open to Fresno State students and typically last from one semester to a year.<\/p>\n
Since the program launched in 2023, Valley Children’s says it has hosted more than 300 interns and hired 23 of them after graduation.<\/p>\n
Beall said the program is designed to help students overcome challenges they face when entering the workforce.<\/p>\n
“we know that one of the biggest challenges for college students as they graduate is getting their first job and building their resume with meaningful professional experiences. So we obviously hire a lot of people in the community, one of the largest employers in the valley,” Beall said.<\/p>\n
Gutierrez previously interned in the hospital’s IT department and has returned for a second semester in a marketing and communications internship with an emphasis on digital work.<\/p>\n
“I decided to come back for a second internship, just to explore really what is out there, and that is what this program is for, to show you all the different possibilities within one organization,” Gutierrez said. “Honestly, it has opened up my world so much.”<\/p>\n
Valley Children’s officials said the program provides students with professional experience while exposing them to a variety of career paths within a single organization.<\/p>\n
Watch “Children First: Learning and Earning” Sunday, July 26 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC30 and wherever you stream Action News.<\/p>\n
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