Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi is offering three hands-on programs this spring and summer for Maui students interested in health care careers: an eight-week clinical summer experience, a paid Summer Youth Employment Program, and a Career Exploration Day at the Wailuku medical office. The programs allow intermediate, high school, and college students to earn college credit, gain real-world experience, and explore both clinical and administrative roles without leaving the island.
Programs at a glance
The Health Care Summer Experience is an eight-week program created with UH Maui College and the Hawaiʻi/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center. Students age 16 and older choose either Diagnostic Imaging or Primary Care tracks, spend about 75 hours at the Maui Lani and Wailuku sites and can earn college credit plus a financial award, according to Maui Now. The program will accept up to seven students total (four in diagnostic imaging and three in primary care), with applications due Feb. 27. The same announcement notes that applications for Kaiser’s Summer Youth Employment Program open March 1.
Paid internships and placements
Kaiser’s Summer Youth Employment Program places high school and college students in paid internships across clinical and administrative departments and is designed to build a local pipeline into health care, Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii explains. Program leads say placements are matched to interns’ interests and paired with mentorship and leadership training. That tailored approach is intended to steer more homegrown talent into positions that often go unfilled on the neighbor islands.
Career Exploration Day in Wailuku
The Career Exploration Day is set for April 25 at Kaiser’s Wailuku medical office and is geared toward intermediate and high school students; registration is open now and the event can host up to 70 participants, Maui Now reports. The morning will feature hands-on stations in radiology, cardiology and surgery so students can try out basic skills and talk story with clinicians about career paths. Schools and parents are urged to sign up early because space is limited.
Why this matters
Hawaiʻi’s health system is staring down a documented shortfall of thousands of workers: roughly 4,600 non-physician roles and more than 700 physician vacancies, a gap that local leaders say threatens access and piles pressure on island hospitals, according to Hawaii Business. Local clinicians stress that early exposure can make the difference; as Dr. Lee Miyasato told Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii, “You can't be what you can't see.”
How to apply
Students and families eyeing any of these options will want to keep a close watch on deadlines: the Health Care Summer Experience application is due Feb. 27, Summer Youth Employment Program applications open March 1 and Career Exploration Day registration is already live. Interested participants should follow the program links above for sign-ups and eligibility details. Organizers say program leads and physicians may be available for interviews, and local media can contact Kaiser’s press office for more information. The programs are intentionally small, officials add, with the focus on deep, hands-on experience and mentoring rather than packing in large cohorts.
