The school year is coming to an end, which means it’s almost time for graduation.
Students in the Physician Assistant program at Mississippi State University in Meridian have big plans for their futures.
One student, Karimah Strawder, already has a job lined up in North Mississippi.
“So, I currently do have a job that will be in Tupelo at North Mississippi Medical Center. It will be a little bit of hospital work, clinic work, as well as being in the operating room.”
Another PA student, Karringten Perkins, is searching for a position closer to the Gulf Coast and her family.
“I’ve applied to jobs across Louisiana, all of the Gulf Coast down to the middle of the panhandle of Florida.”
Perkins also described the challenge of catching the attention of potential employers without previous work experience.
“So that has been a very difficult thing to go through, trying to find people to even respond back to you and tell you like no I don’t want a new grad I want more experience.”
After years of school, these students are also facing student loan repayments, which makes securing a job all the more important.
Another student, Matthew Kittrell—who also has a job lined up at North Mississippi Medical Center—mentioned that the hospital will help reduce a portion of his student loan debt.
“They have a pretty good debt relief bonus for signing on with them, so that will help out with about a third of them, so more than happy for that.”