Caption: Leticia Lozoria, 18, retrieves a pump for nurses at St. John Medical Center as part of the Project Search program, which trains adults with disabilities for jobs. Jenks became the first school district in the state to participate in the program. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World 

Learning at work 

BY SARA PLUMMER 
World Staff Writer 

Jenks High School senior Leticia Lozoria always wanted to be a nurse, so she was eager to start an internship at St. John Medical Center at the beginning of the school year. 

Lozoria spends most of her time each day as a hospitality specialist on the hospital’s 11th floor, stocking supplies and linen closets, answering patient calls and delivering meals. 

But she starts each morning in a classroom at St. John learning how to write a resume, fill out job applications, apply for internships, and budget and plan meals. 

Classmates Matthew Jones and Lane Stansifer go to the medical records department for hands-on vocational training, putting patient files in folders and then making labels. 

This real-world experience is possible through Project Search, a program to train adults with disabilities for jobs. Jenks became the first school district in the state to participate in the program, which originated in Cincinnati 11 years ago. 

Seven Jenks seniors are participating in Project Search. Holly McVay, a Project Search instructor, said: “They love it. One of the students says she has the grooviest job.” 

The state Department of Rehabilitation Services funds the program, and the University of Oklahoma’s National Center for Disability Education and Training is its coordinator. 


Program gives Jenks students on-the-job training 


WORK: 

Students are placed in jobs at the hospital based on their abilities. 

The students are evaluated and placed in jobs at the hospital based on their abilities. 

Laurie Thomas, director of volunteer services, said the goal is for participating students to apply for a job by their May graduation. 

“They have job skills that they can utilize in other job settings,” she said. 

“Our focus is success of these kids.” 

Robert Eames, a vocational rehabilitation specialist, said having a job is a big deal to the students while also being fun. 

“They’ll come out of this with a year of work under their belt,” Eames said. “Complex but routine is kind of our mantra.” 

Lozoria said the experience has made her consider other jobs at the hospital besides nursing. 

She hopes to apply for another hospital internship after graduation. 

The emergency room is the next rotation she’d like to experience. 

“That’s my goal,” she said. “They don’t want me to go, but I want to try different things.” 

Sara Plummer 581-8465 
sara.plummer@tulsaworld.com