Nine Local Apprentices Enrolled in National Healthcare Certification Program.
ST CROIX, USVI, May 7, 2021 – Plessen Healthcare launched their medical professional apprenticeship program with an orientation held at the Orange Grove Medical Campus on Thursday, May 6, 2021. Department of Labor Commissioner, Gary Molloy, attended the orientation and expressed his well wishes and continued support upon addressing the group.
Committed to its employees’ professional growth and development, Plessen Healthcare welcomes this opportunity to facilitate the program and assist employees as they acquire national certification in their professional field.
The Plessen Healthcare Apprenticeship Program represents one of the first nationally accredited apprenticeship programs in the United States Virgin Islands. Other local businesses participating in the apprenticeship program include Gold Coast Yachts and Peace of St. Croix.
“Plessen is honored to have been chosen to participate in the first federally-funded USVI Apprenticeship program. We appreciate the support and collaboration with the USVI Department of Labor and Commissioner Gary Malloy. This is an important step forward for us providing on-the-job training and certification. It is a big commitment by our apprentices, and I wish them the very best in their continued success” shared Plessen Healthcare CEO, Dr. Jan Tawakol
Nine Plessen Healthcare employees were selected to participate in the program which is supported by the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP), a U.S. Department of Labor industry intermediary in healthcare. Plessen has registered apprentices in the fields of Medical Assistant, Surgical Technician, and Life Safety Coordinator.
Luisa Gabriel, Charlyn George, Venesta Anthony Daniel, Francia Anthony, Niyosha Aldonza, Dena Romero, Joshua Valentin, Krystyn Lake, Ashley Troeter
The apprenticeship program is competency-based and includes classroom and educational training in addition to on-the-job experience. Apprenticeships are completed within two years upon mastery of all competencies required for the respective certification. Participants who are currently enrolled in or have completed professional education programs receive credit towards the certification.
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, participants earn the nationally recognized Journeyperson status.
Plessen diligently pursued workforce development opportunities after being invited to and participating in the Governor’s Workforce Development Summit in the fall of 2019.
Corporate Administrator, Angela East, is the apprenticeship program coordinator. “I am passionate about education and the pursuit of personal improvement. I am honored to have assisted Dr. Tawakol in developing the Plessen Apprenticeship Program and look forward to working with our apprentices as they complete their respective programs” states East.
Participating in the program are current Plessen employees as follows:
Certified Medical Assistant: Niyosha Aldonza, Francia Anthony, Venesta Anthony Daniel, Luisa Gabriel, Charlyn George, and Dena Romero.
Certified Surgical Technician: Krystyn Lake and Joshua Valentin.
Certified Life Safety Coordinator: Ashley Troeter.
About Plessen Healthcare
Plessen Healthcare, LLC. was founded on St Croix, US Virgin Islands in 2014 by Dr. Jan Tawakol and Dr. Tasnim Khan, on the fundamental belief that world-class health care should be accessible to everyone. The Plessen Orange Gove medical campus includes a full-service, multi-specialty medical clinic and the first CMS accredited surgical center in the USVI. Opened in September 2020, Plessen’s Urgent Care, located at Sunny Isles, serves patients ages two and up, seven days per week. In early 2021, Plessen opened a dedicated COVID-19 Vaccination Center in the Sunny Isles Annex. Plessen is committed to affordable, accountable, and efficient healthcare and is centrally located within the Caribbean for easy travel from down island, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the U.S. mainland.
