It’s 9:30 a.m. on a Tuesday at NYU Langone Health’s Manhattan campus. Esienee Morales, 19, is reviewing nursing protocols in preadmission testing. Down the hall, her classmate Yadiel Antonio Santana, 19, shadows an anesthesiologist, learning what happens in those crucial moments before surgery.

Both teens are seniors at Cristo Rey New York High School, a coed Catholic college-prep school in East Harlem. Like its counterparts in a nationwide network of 40 schools, Cristo Rey New York provides low-cost education to promising students whose families can’t afford private school tuition.

As participants in the school’s Corporate Work Study Program, Morales and Santana were placed in student internships throughout NYU Langone for the entire school year. The program helps students acquire marketable skills, develop business contacts, explore career opportunities, cultivate a work ethic, and boost their self-esteem.

The partnership began in 2023, when the impressive performance of Cristo Rey New York and its students was brought to the attention of NYU Langone’s human resources team. The Corporate Work Study Program dovetailed perfectly with NYU Langone’s ongoing initiatives to engage high school students and create a sustainable pipeline of future healthcare staff.

The shortage of registered nurses in the US is projected to intensify as baby boomers age and their healthcare needs grow. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing schools nationwide are struggling to expand capacity. The New York State Department of Labor projects more than 17,000 annual openings for nurses between now and 2032, yet only about 10,000 new nurses join the workforce each year. With more than 10,000 nurses across the health system, NYU Langone has made professional cultivation a priority.

At the start of the program in the fall of 2024, eight students participated at NYU Langone. This year, the number rose to 11. The students attend school four days a week and work with clinical or nonclinical professionals in various specialties one day a week. As they work alongside these professionals, they transition from passive observers to active contributors.

At Perlmutter Cancer Center, Morales and Santana observed nurses, provided refreshments to patients, and offered companionship to those receiving chemotherapy. In preadmission testing, they learned about appointment scheduling and care coordination. Their Medical Center Information Technology rotation taught them about cybersecurity and network repair. And while working with the integrative health team, they compiled patient education packets for families. Each evening, they regaled their parents with fun facts gleaned from their workday.

For Morales, healthcare became personal when complications developed during the birth of her little brother. “It got me interested in pediatric nursing,” she says, “but I really had no information about how to become one. I feel like this program can really shape your future.”

Ninety-nine percent of Cristo Rey New York graduates go to college, and Santana will be the first member of his family to do so. He recalls a health experience of his own that opened his eyes to the field of anesthesiology. “My case was complicated,” he explains. “It made me interested in healthcare, and I’ve always wanted to help others.”

Every Cristo Rey New York high school student participates in the school’s Corporate Work Study Program, which places them in not only healthcare but a wide range of fields, including law, education, banking, retail, insurance, and real estate. “Within our health system, it’s a kind of matchmaking to find the right fit for each student, based on their interests and skill set,” explains Beatrice Tony-Jean, manager of workforce development in NYU Langone’s human resources department. She seeks out NYU Langone staff members who are looking to give back to teens in some way. “It takes a special mix of the right personality, the ability to break down and teach others about your area of expertise, and the desire to inspire today’s youth to become tomorrow’s workforce,” she says.

“We truly believe in these students,” says Althea Mighten, EdD, DNP, APRN, senior director of nursing for innovation and inquiry at NYU Langone’s Department of Nursing Science and Innovation (DNSI). “We discuss nursing as an art and a science, reviewing their topics from school and trying to make connections with the practice area they’re working in.” The mentorship component is integral to the success of the program. Discussing goals and checking progress each morning, says Dr. Mighten, helps teach professional behavior and sends a message: “You belong here.”

Two graduating seniors from this year’s group will enter nursing programs in the fall of 2026, while others have been accepted to colleges, with plans to major in neuroscience, criminal justice, or special education. The program also benefits students who decide to pursue a field other than healthcare. As Tony-Jean notes, “The Corporate Work Study model is equally valuable for redirecting young people and helping them realize what they don’t want to do professionally, as well as what they do want to do.”