DOWAGIAC — Tuesday afternoon, Dowagiac resident Conner Carlisle wiped down the equipment of the physical therapy center of Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital. Working as other employee, Carlisle works his way done a checklist of things he needs to get done for the day.

However, Carlisle is not getting paid to work at the hospital. Instead, the high school senior is earning course credit and job skills through a work based learning program.

“This has been great,” he said. “I’ve really liked doing this.”

The student is one of eight working at the hospital as part of a work based learning program, which is a collaboration between Dowagiac Union Schools, Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital and Michigan Rehabilitation Services. The seniors, who will soon be having their last day with the program, said the program gave them confidence and inspired them to be productive members of the workforce.

For the program, Dowagiac Union High School students, all of whom have some sort of disability, work for school credit at the hospital. The students rotate between a number different departments including registration, laboratory, physical therapy, oncology, housekeeping, kitchen and facilities management.

The goal of the program is to have the students learn hands on work experience, said Denise Swartz, a special education instructor at Dowagiac Union Schools and is also involved in work based learning program. The students are meant to leave the program with job skills, job responsibilities and confidence. The students even receive work evaluations, much like the ones they would receive in a real workplace.

“It’s really a trial by fire learning program,” Swartz said. “It’s been great to watch these kids grow.”

Ruth Kremer, a public relations representative with Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital, said that the hospital is the perfect place for students to test out the workplace learning program, as they can learn a variety of skills that can be applicable to any job.

“An architect once told me that a hospital is the most complex structure built by man,” Kremer said. “And because we are so highly regulated, they get a grassroots introduction into how regulation and privacy concerns affect everything I do. … It’s multilayered.”

For the students who participated in the program, the program has given them confidence and even inspired them to pursue careers in the medical field.

Carlisle, for example, said since he began the program in October, he has considered taking up a career in physical therapy. He said he does not regret taking part in the program, as he has learned many valuable skills and gotten work experience.

“I’ve definitely learned more communication skills,” he said. “At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t a very good communicator. That’s the most strong thing [the program] has taught me to do.”

Likewise, Dowagiac Union High School senior Courtney Latrice-Green is currently working in the laboratory of Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital as part of the work based learning program. She said she is now considering working in a laboratory as a career, something she had not considered prior to taking part in the program. She also described the work based learning program as a positive experience that better prepared her for the workplace.

“I’ve gotten more communication skills, I’ve gotten to meet more people, I’m more confident than I was when I started high school and I’ve gotten more responsibilities,” she said. “It’s been fun for me.”