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These gardening tasks must be fulfilled at multiple levels: national, state or regional and local. Major initiatives are underway nationally, from federal legislation for scholarship funds to the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future. For more information on federally funded health professions development programs, visit hrsa.gov.
State-level initiatives are abundant. Most state hospital associations and federally-funded Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) have plans and programs in the works. The American Hospital Association's (AHA) healthcare workforce web site includes summaries and links (though not necessarily up to date) to hospital association projects.
Tennessee is fertile ground for youth recruitment into health careers. THA's Center for Health Workforce Development in Tennessee (CHWDT), the Tennessee Center for Nursing, Tennessee Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and a host of collaborative groups are building infrastructure to ensure a steady supply of dedicated, capable health workers. If hospitals and other healthcare providers actively support and take part in these and other state-based initiatives, we will be well on our way to averting future shortages in Tennessee.
THA and the Center for Health Workforce Development in Tennessee (CHWDT)
The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) has been a leader in health workforce development since 1965 when it launched the Tennessee Health Careers program, one of the country's first statewide health careers recruitment initiatives. Through the years, THA has engaged in numerous activities to stimulate awareness and interest of health careers among our youth.
Health Careers Web Sites
A new web site, TNhealthcareers.com was launched in August 2003 to provide online information about health career opportunities in Tennessee. The site includes financial aid information, career descriptions and links to hospital employers.
The CHWDT web site at healthworkforce.org contains a wealth of resources for workforce strategists, including statewide planning data and supply/demand forecasts. This guide and the CHWDT monthly newsletter can be accessed and downloaded from the site. If you have suggestions about information you would like to see on the web site, contact Bill Jolley at THA, bjolley@tha.com, 615-256-8240.
Resources for Speakers
THA's Health Careers Toolkit contains posters, sample speeches and presentation tips that can be used by healthcare professionals to present the health careers story at local schools and events. It also includes recommendations for hospital-sponsored career days. To download the toolkit, click here or go to the CHWDT web site at healthworkforce.org.
Career Exploration Events for Youth
THA participated in a total of 68 career days and conferences during the 2002-2003 school year, reaching over 37,000 Tennessee students. For information about career days and nights in your area, contact Brenda Gatlin, THA director of client services, bgatlin@tha.com, 615- 401-7434. Also, check out the Career Exploration Mega-Fairs article for examples of benchmark career fairs in Tennessee.
Statewide Health Careers Project
In August 2003, THA hosted the first meeting of the Pipeline Project Committee. This committee was formed in response to a recommendation from the THA board of directors that Tennessee hospitals pursue collaborative strategies to "initiate, motivate, nurture and maintain relationships with students." The Pipeline Project will focus on expanding, enhancing and coordinating health career recruitment activities in elementary, middle and high schools and encourage more effective hospital communication and involvement with youth. The group will report to the advisory committee of the Center for Health Workforce Development in Tennessee. For more information about the Pipeline Project Committee, contact Brenda Gatlin, 615-401-7434, bgatlin@tha.com.
CHWDT Grant-Funded Pilot Projects
CHWDT awarded $482,000 in grants in 2003 to collaborative healthcare recruitment and retention efforts. Several existing projects received funds for continuation or expansion in 2003-2004. Other grant projects include new and worthwhile initiatives to stimulate health careers awareness and interest among youth.
Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) received a $25,000 matching grant from CHWDT to hire their second health careers advisor. Regina Johnson, a registered nurse and certified teacher, will be working with students in elementary, middle and high schools in Carter County and Elizabethton City schools. Johnson joins Gayle Keebler, healthcare career advisor at Science Hill High School in Johnson City. Keebler is serving in a Train-the-Trainer capacity for other THA-endorsed organizations interested in developing a health careers advisor model. She has been contacted by healthcare systems and collaboratives across the state exploring the concept. For more information, contact Brenda Gatlin at bgatlin@tha.com
Galaxy Health Alliance (Chattanooga) created a workforce development specialist position with part of a $60,000 CHWDT grant. Laurie Whitlock will be supporting the workforce development needs of 16 hospitals in 13 counties. Her activities include attending district and local PTA meetings. Her primary target is parents of eighth graders, who are responsible for helping their children develop a focused academic plan for their high school years. For more information, contact Laurie Whitlock at laurie.whitlock@galaxyhealth.org, 423-267-2535.
Collaborative initiatives led by Cookeville Regional Medical Center and Coordinated Healthcare Services (Knoxville) also received CHWDT grant funds for health career advisor positions, as did two summer health careers camps designed to introduce teachers to health careers. For a complete list of CHWDT grantees or more information, contact Bill Jolley, bjolley@tha.com, 615-256-8240.
A $30,000 CHWDT grant helped fund year two of a health careers summer camp for teachers of math, science and health sciences from west Tennessee, northern Mississippi and western Arkansas. Baptist College of Health Sciences (BCHS) sponsors the institute. This year, 32 teachers gained first-hand exposure to high-demand health careers while rotating through six clinical areas: nuclear medicine technology, diagnostic medical sonography, medical radiography MRI/CT, radiation therapy, nursing and respiratory care. They observed miracles of healing and cutting-edge technology while becoming acquainted with working healthcare heroes. During the five-day program, teacher participants developed lesson plans integrating math and science with one of the career areas they studied. Now back in their classrooms, these teachers will be able to convey health careers opportunities with greater knowledge and confidence.
Stay tuned: This year's lesson plans will be posted here later this year for free distribution to teachers across Tennessee. Click here for another example of summer camp for teachers organized by Georgia's southwest Georgia area health education center (SOWEGA-AHEC).
THA's northeast hospital district received a grant to develop a collaborative health sciences summer institute for middle school teachers in 2004. The program will be developed by a task force comprising representatives of 15 participating hospitals. Like the BCHS institute, teachers will rotate through clinical areas and create lesson plans with new applications for math and science in health care.
What if Tennessee had a statewide program for high school students that would expose them to the world of career possibilities in health care, one that also would cultivate the academic skills they need to prepare for further training? What if the students had opportunities to learn about health careers first hand, participating in clinical rotations and learning from experienced healthcare heroes on the job?
What if they could join their like-minded peers in extracurricular activities that were just plain fun? What if they had opportunities to participate in local, state and national competitions in skills ranging from biomedical debate to physical therapy assistance to medical spelling?
What if these health careers prot?g?es also mastered core competencies and responsible work habits that made them highly desirable entry-level workers right after high school? What if they were role models and leaders in their schools? What if their energy, enthusiasm and sense of purpose inspired their peers to explore health care?
What if your hospital had a direct pipeline to these young people? What if your hospital developed long-term relationships with these high achievers, provided tuition support and part-time jobs while they completed their professional training? What if the supply of these dedicated, capable youth was continuous, a bumper crop each year?
If such a program existed in every Tennessee school district, and every Tennessee hospital made a commitment to support its local chapter . . . how long do you think we would have a health workforce supply crisis?
At least 50 Tennessee hospitals know this concept is more than a dream. They are actively working with health science teachers in their local schools and the student organization known as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). They provide clinical sites, mentors, class presentations and clinical equipment to support students who are on a fast track to becoming outstanding healthcare employees. They lend their time and expertise as judges in competitive events. They are creating lasting relationships of loyalty and mutual regard with youth who represent the best and the brightest in their communities.
HOSA membership is open to all students who are enrolled in health sciences curricula. Most are high schoolers, but middle school programs are being developed. There also are chapters for post-secondary students. HOSA was launched by six states in 1975. Today, its 70,000+ members nationwide represent tomorrow's healthcare heroes. Over 6,300 members are in Tennessee.
Tennessee is blessed with an outstanding HOSA organization, fed by a strong, growing network of health science programs in our public schools. The Tennessee Department of Education reports a total of 210 health sciences programs, representing nearly all Tennessee counties. Eighteen are new in the 2003-2004 school year. Twenty-three were added in 2002-2003. Tennessee was one of 14 states winning awards in 2003 for HOSA membership increases.
Tennessee's HOSA members are frequently elected to national leadership positions and shine in national competitions. Shelonda Richardson (pictured at right), a 2003 graduate of Memphis Hamilton High, serves on HOSA's national Executive Leadership Council as Region II vice president. Brighton High School 2003 graduate Sini Nwaobi was named Outstanding HOSA Member of the Year. Michael Gooch, a flight nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was honored as Alumni of the Year at HOSA's 2003 national leadership conference in Atlanta. Click here for Michael's inspiring story.
Over three dozen Tennessee schools competed at this year's national leadership conference. Individual students won honors in 22 leadership and skills competitions. Click here for a list of winners and their local high schools.
HOSA alumni are at work in hospitals throughout Tennessee. They are physicians, physical therapists, nurses, food service workers and administrators. Some, like Michael Gooch, have achieved dreams requiring years of preparation. Others still are seedlings in the garden, working in entry-level positions to finance their growth toward higher professional and academic goals.
Who are the HOSA alums in your organization? Chances are they have a story to share. Chances are they are outstanding team members who are respected by their colleagues.
Find them, get to know them, and celebrate their successes.
Share their stories of persistence and achievement with youth in your community as well as with their colleagues and peers.
Then find out how you can nurture other early health careerists, in the community or within your organization, to help them stay the course.
Health sciences teachers and HOSA advisors often struggle to maintain high quality programs. Most need help from local healthcare providers: equipment, clinical sites, mentors and job shadowing programs. Some need financial support to enable HOSA students to travel to statewide competitions. Some are acutely in need of funds for textbooks, reference books and computer software. THA's Center for Health Workforce Development in Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Education cosponsored a survey of health science teachers in July 2003. Respondents shared their wish lists for support from local hospitals and health care employers. Click here for a list of items your hospital can provide to nurture a local garden of healthcare heroes.
Mountain States Health Alliance was honored by HOSA's Tennessee chapters with the Industry of the Year Award for its "overwhelming support" of Science Hill High School and Science Hill Tech Center. MHSA funds the healthcare career advisor position at Science Hill High School, awards scholarships annually to outstanding HOSA members and provides clinical sites for students. Several MSHA associates hold positions on the advisory boards for the high school and tech center. MSHA is a Johnson City-based integrated health system comprising eight hospitals, 21 primary care centers and 13 outpatient centers.
National HOSA Week is celebrated the first full week in November (November 2-8, 2003). Activities are designed to engage HOSA members in community service, promoting health careers and showing appreciation to the healthcare community. HOSA chapters throughout the state will be active in their schools, communities and health provider partner organizations. This year's theme, submitted by a Kentucky HOSA member, is "With Nurturing Love and Caring Smiles, HOSA Goes the Extra Mile." The theme will be used throughout the year at HOSA events and competitions culminating in the 2004 annual meeting next summer in Orlando, FL.
Teresa Williamson, HOSA advisor at Richland High School (Giles County) and secretary of HOSA's national executive council, leads her students through a month of activities to celebrate and promote HOSA. Last year, the chapter pitched health careers on a local radio station; took faculty blood pressures at a breakfast given in their honor; invited eighth graders to join HOSA during Scrub Week; participated in service projects for disability awareness, AIDS awareness and the American Cancer Society; and sponsored a 6:30 a.m. appreciation breakfast for day and night shift workers at Hillside Hospital. Hillside's chief nursing officer, David Jones, received a plaque recognizing the hospital's generous and ongoing support of health science students at Richland High School. For more information, contact Teresa Williamson, willikd@tnns.net, 931-527-3627.
Want to know more about how your organization can start or support a HOSA chapter? Contact Brenda Gatlin at THA (bgatlin@tha.com, 615-401-7434) or Laurene McLemore, health science education advisor, Tennessee Department of Education, 615-532-2839, Laurene.McLemore@state.tn.us.
Do not wait to start building relationships with local youth, even if you have no active HOSA chapter in your service area. Your organization can adopt a health occupations class or a whole school, or start a youth mentoring program. For more information about partnerships with education, contact the Pencil Foundation in Nashville at 615-242-3167 or go to pencilfd.org.
Click on the following links for more information about programs that are working in Tennessee and in the U.S.
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