Six Milwaukee high school students are graduating with medical assistant certificates after completing a new K-12 health care pathway designed to move students from high school into job-ready clinical roles and further education options.

The students were recognized during a May 27 ceremony at The Ready Center in Milwaukee through a program connected to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Froedtert Health and MedCerts, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA Today Network. The graduates include students who completed high school while also finishing medical assistant training, giving them a credential tied to one of the region’s most visible entry points into health care work.

The program’s first graduating group is small, but its structure points to a broader shift in American high school education. Districts, employers and nonprofit organizations are increasingly trying to give students more than a diploma by combining classroom learning with career credentials, internships, dual enrollment and direct exposure to industries facing labor shortages. In Milwaukee, health care is a natural target because hospitals, clinics and community care providers need workers across both clinical and administrative roles.

The Milwaukee pathway was described in local coverage as a grant-funded K-12 Medical Assistant program led by Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee in partnership with Froedtert Health and MedCerts. The model is meant to expose students to health care work earlier, train them in medical assisting skills and give them a credential that can be used after graduation. Some students may move directly into work, while others can use the credential as a stepping stone toward nursing, physician assistant programs, medical school or other allied health fields.

Medical assistants often serve as a front-line link between patients and providers. Depending on the setting and state rules, their work can include recording vital signs, preparing patients for exams, updating medical records, scheduling appointments, supporting clinical procedures and handling administrative tasks. That combination makes the role especially important in outpatient clinics and physician practices, where patient volume and staffing shortages can affect access to care.

The workforce case for such programs is clear. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical assistants to grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. BLS also projects about 112,300 medical assistant openings each year on average over the decade, with many openings tied to replacement needs as workers leave occupations or retire. Those figures give health systems an incentive to build early pipelines rather than rely only on adult training programs or traditional college recruitment.

For students, the value is not limited to immediate employment. A high school graduate with a medical assistant credential may be able to earn income in a health care setting while continuing college, technical training or another credential program. That can matter for students who need to work after graduation but still want a route into higher-wage medical careers. It also gives teenagers a real-world test of whether patient care, clinical routines and health care operations fit their long-term interests.

Milwaukee Public Schools already promotes career and technical education as part of its college and career readiness strategy. The district says its CTE programs include hands-on career pathways, internships, youth apprenticeships, NAF academies and opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials. Based on 2024-25 district data posted by MPS, 3,187 students in grades 11 and 12 were CTE concentrators, 1,799 were earning college credit through dual enrollment, 1,188 were preparing for future jobs through credential opportunities and 834 were getting real-world experience through internships or youth apprenticeships.

Health sciences is one of the district’s visible career pathway areas. MPS lists health sciences pathways at several high schools and says students can pursue Certified Nursing Assistant training and certification in collaboration with Milwaukee Area Technical College at selected schools. The new medical assistant pathway expands the broader ecosystem of health care preparation by adding a credential aligned with outpatient clinical work and employer needs.

The involvement of Froedtert Health gives the program a direct connection to one of Wisconsin’s major health care employers. Froedtert’s own workforce development materials emphasize career awareness, exploration, preparation, education and employment as stages in building health care pathways. The system describes its Pathways to Success initiative as a way to help people explore careers, receive skills training and connect to mentoring, networking and advancement opportunities. For students, that employer link can make training feel less abstract: the certificate is tied to real clinics, real staffing needs and potential local jobs.

MedCerts adds the training and certification component. The company’s medical assistant program materials describe training in areas such as anatomy, medical terminology, clinical medical assisting, professionalism and medical office procedures. MedCerts says its medical assistant training can prepare students for national certification exams, including Certified Clinical Medical Assistant and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant credentials through the National Healthcareer Association. The Milwaukee student pathway reflects how online or hybrid credential providers are increasingly becoming part of K-12 and workforce partnerships.

The role of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee is also significant. Community-based organizations can often reach students outside the traditional school day, provide coaching and help families navigate programs that may otherwise seem designed for adults. Hosting the graduation at The Ready Center placed the achievement in a youth-development setting rather than only a hospital or school building, reinforcing the idea that career preparation can be a shared civic project.

Career-connected education programs still face important questions. Small cohorts can be easier to support than large-scale programs, and expansion requires funding, scheduling flexibility, transportation, qualified instructors, student advising and employer capacity. Schools must also ensure that students are not pushed prematurely into narrow tracks. The strongest versions of career pathways keep college options open, connect credentials to transferable skills and give students enough academic preparation to continue advancing.

Milwaukee’s first medical assistant graduates offer a local example of that balance. Their certificates can help them compete for jobs now, but the credential can also function as a launch point rather than an endpoint. In a labor market where health care systems need workers and families are scrutinizing the cost and payoff of postsecondary education, a high school pathway that produces both a diploma and a recognized health care credential is likely to draw continued attention from educators, employers and policymakers.

The immediate story is six students crossing a stage with a credential most high school seniors do not yet have. The larger story is a city testing whether early, structured health care training can give young people a practical foothold in a high-demand field while helping local providers build the next generation of workers from within the community.