Orthopedic Clinic partnership turns student internship into full-time job

By AI, Created 9:50 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The Orthopedic Clinic and The Chiles Academy are using internships and mentorship to help teen parents build careers in healthcare. The partnership just led to a full-time hire for former student Mattie Waybright, underscoring how school-to-work pipelines can create second chances.

Why it matters: - The partnership links education to employment for students who face major barriers to finishing school. - The program is aimed at teen parents, a group that often needs stable, flexible pathways into work. - The latest hire shows the model can move a student from internship to full-time healthcare employment.

What happened: - The Orthopedic Clinic and The Chiles Academy highlighted an ongoing partnership focused on mentorship, education and career pathways. - Mattie Waybright joined The Orthopedic Clinic as a full-time medical assistant in Dr. Eric Villarreal’s clinic on April 28, 2026. - Waybright had been a Chiles Academy student for more than two years and completed her second internship with The Orthopedic Clinic before joining the staff. - Waybright finished school early during Thanksgiving break in 2025.

The details: - The Chiles Academy serves teen parents and helps them stay in school, graduate and build a stable future for themselves and their children. - The Orthopedic Clinic gives students hands-on internships in a clinical setting. - Waybright said the academy gave her a second chance when she felt like giving up. - Waybright said a mentor at the school, Miss Foster, helped keep her on track. - Waybright said the internship showed her what she is capable of and helped her start a career. - Waybright wants to become a physician assistant. - Shannon Stewartson, CEO of The Orthopedic Clinic, said the program shows what can happen when students get support, structure and opportunity. - Jason Carey, HR manager, said seeing Waybright grow from intern to team member has been rewarding. - The clinic said Waybright represents the determination and potential it looks for in employees.

Between the lines: - The partnership is doing more than offering work experience; it is functioning as a pipeline for students who need a practical bridge after graduation. - The focus on mentors with similar life experiences suggests the clinic and academy are trying to make career paths feel reachable, not abstract. - The hiring also gives the clinic a way to recruit from a local talent pool while reinforcing its community role.

What’s next: - The Orthopedic Clinic plans to deepen student engagement with mentorship from team members whose personal journeys reflect the students’ experiences. - Revenue Cycle Manager Allison Abrusci, who became a mother as a teenager and built a healthcare career, is among the employees positioned to mentor students. - The clinic and the academy aim to create more structured pathways from education to employment. - Both organizations want those pathways to help students build stable, fulfilling futures.

The bottom line: - The partnership is turning internships into jobs and career hope into a concrete path forward for students who need both opportunity and support.