Renee Gentry of Pascagoula will turn 58 next month. A few months after that, she’ll take her board examination to become a licensed practical nurse.

“Everybody’s like, ‘You’re going back to school at your age?’” she said.

Gentry spent 14 years working as a flight attendant, and said she’s also surprised she was able to make the career change. A vocation in medicine became possible when she enrolled in Singing River Health System’s medical apprenticeship program, the first of its kind in Mississippi.

Singing River Healthcare Academy in Ocean Springs allows students to earn as they learn, pursuing certifications in a range of health careers at no cost while receiving a salary and full benefits. It combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical training in hospitals and clinics, and

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