Sisters and Coworkers: Twins Found a Career Boost Through Build Dakota

Identical twins Alix and Bailey Peterka both set a goal as high school seniors of working in health care – and the Build Dakota Scholarship gave both a boost toward landing great jobs at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.

“We both took a ‘World of Work’ course as seniors, and it let us shadow people at a number of jobs,” said Bailey Peterka, CST, a certified surgical tech. “It let us dip our toe in the water – and we both found things we wanted to pursue.”

Bailey learned about surgical technicians and their duties. Staff at Avera Sacred Heart helped her to make a path toward that career. Her sister, Alix, really liked the hustle, bustle and behind-the-scenes work as a medical laboratory technician. She loves puzzles; she sees lab tests as pieces of the whole that comes from a care team.

“Lab work connects so many things in health care, and having that role, contributing the overall effort – I really love it,” Alix said. “We have a good team; we all help one another when things get hectic.”

About the Build Dakota Scholarship

The Build Dakota Scholarship was formed to address high-need career areas in the state. It covers half of tuition, books and other required program expenses. As an industry sponsor, Avera covers the other half of expenses. In return, recipients work in their field of choice for their industry sponsor for a minimum of three years.

Bailey visited Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls, where she found a good fit for her interest. Alix found a study program she liked at Mitchell Technical Institute.

“The Build South Dakota program allowed me to focus on my studies, so I didn’t have to work while I attended college,” Alix said. “It gave me peace of mind, too. I knew I had a job waiting for me when I graduated.”

Avera Health Director of Talent Development Pam Hilber, PhD, said the Build Dakota program is an exceptional way for both Avera and South Dakota to address critical workforce needs. The Peterkas are a great example of how the scholarships work.

“Young people seek careers, and South Dakota needs skilled employees, like Alix and Bailey,” Hilber said. “At Avera, we’re excited to have them on our team. We hope their experience helps show others that there are resources that can help them reach their professional goals.”

Avera sponsors more than 70 students in a wide range of care fields, from surgical, medical, radiology and laboratory technicians to nurses, LNPs and more. Hilber said the program is always looking for more participants.

Finding Their Roles on New Teams

Both Alix and Bailey have worked in their roles for two years at Avera Sacred Heart. They realize the benefits of their professional opportunities at the facility.

“In the lab, we take turns running the many areas we cover, from microbiology to chemistry to blood bank,” Alix said. “It also gives us a chance to interact with patients, when we do blood draws.”

When things get busy, every tech on her team joins the effort to make sure patients get results and clinicians get the information they need. When they see a teammate in need, they help out.

“It was nice to learn from surgery staff who had a lot of experience, who were veterans of the profession,” Bailey said. “We are like a big family. We learn from each other and teach one another, too.”

What began for each as exploration of the future now is a concrete reward: good pay, a great team and jobs that fit their personalities and hopes.

“I like putting the pieces of the care puzzle together, and helping people,” Alix said. “It’s never the same thing two days in a row.”

Since surgery is like an orchestra, with teams made up of surgeons, technicians, nurses and more, Bailey said she thrives. “It’s fast-paced, it varies a lot but at the heart of everything is the patient,” she said. “I love knowing I help patients every day at work.”

Both Peterkas recommend anyone considering care careers to look into the program that helped them achieve their goals and find professions that fit them so well.

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