Not everyone who’s just 21 has the motivation to work full-time with a full schedule of university classes.
But that’s what Maksym Pylypchuk does. This Ukrainian born, Sioux Falls resident works full-time as a reception specialist at the Avera Addiction Care Center while completing his bachelor’s degree and starting toward master’s coursework at Augustana University, with hopes of becoming a future health care administrator.
After coming to the United States, he had a lot to learn about his new country and pathways to success. “I want to make my family proud – I’m the first of us to go to university in the United States,” said Pylypchuk, or Maks (Max) as most people know him. “They did so much to get me here … it means so much. Yet I also thank my mentors in the Avera Academy who showed me with hard work there are many possibilities.”
The Avera Academy allows high school students to earn high school and college credit hours while gaining real-time exposure to careers in health care. It’s a collaboration between Avera, Sioux Falls Public Schools and Southeast Technical College. It’s among numerous workforce development partnerships at Avera.
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Maks was not as confident in high school as he is today, especially when it came to work interviews.
“My mentors there, Shantel and Sarah, both really coached me and helped me focus on goals and worry less,” he said.
“The Avera Academy was created to provide opportunities for students with learning-first attitudes and a willingness to work,” said Shantel Krebs, Regional President and CEO at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre and the first administrator of the Avera Academy, which was launched in 2019. “The health care field has a multitude of job opportunities. Maks developed skills to continue his career advancement at Avera. We are blessed to see individuals with such passion and compassion become a part of our team; he has a bright future because of his engagement and enthusiasm."
Each year, program leaders select 24 high school seniors from the Sioux Falls School District to take part. They spend Friday mornings at Avera facilities where they explore health care careers and see firsthand what health care professionals, including nurses and technologists, do. Avera Academy has been expanded to other regions within the Avera system in different versions that fit their needs, for example, day camps.
The sixth class of Avera Academy students currently is enrolled, and 113 students have completed the program, with 100 of those graduates now working in or pursuing higher education in health care professions.
Career Options in Health Care
As a reception specialist at the Avera Addiction Care Center, Maks wears a lot of hats and interacts with clients, vendors and the center’s professional staff. He answers the phone, at times talking to people in crisis who aren’t sure how to navigate what they face. He schedules appointments, prepares new admissions and collaborates with counselors and staff.
“I see the transformations,” he said. “I often meet new people first, and then I’m the last person they talk to before they go home. I see firsthand the work we do and how it can change – and save – lives.”
