Butler students to get a shot at health care careers
The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation says health care workforce shortages are projected to rise across the United States. Rural communities often face greater workforce shortages than urban areas, with rural health organizations having fewer clinicians per capita.
There is a decline in primary care doctors entering the field.
Myriad challenges impact care in rural communities in general. Add to that an aging population and rising chronic illness rates that drive the demand for complex health care, according to the foundation, and it’s a recipe for a shortage in the health care workforce.
This week, Butler Area School District, Butler County Community College and Independence Health System announced their intention to combat the issue with the creation of the Healthcare Pathways Career Readiness Program. It’s designed to bring a pipeline of potential talent to fill the growing need.
Brian White, superintendent of Butler Area School District, said the program will provide students with real-world exposure to in-demand careers while they’re still in high school.
The partnership will establish a school-to-work preapprenticeship that introduces students to a wide range of careers. There will be coordinated classroom instruction, hands-on training, job shadowing, mentors and work-based learning experiences.
Students will be able to earn college credits through BC3 and even receive a shot at a direct pathway into formal apprenticeship programs or employment opportunities.
This region has an increased need for nursing assistants, medical assistants, emergency medical technicians, laboratory technicians and essential hospital operations workers, according to the partnership’s announcement.
The program addresses a real need and could also be adapted for all sorts of careers and future partnerships with other area businesses.
This type of proactive partnership between education and business is what all secondary and post-secondary educators should strive for to bring students the kind of marketable skills they will need for life after school.
If the purpose of high school is to educate and prepare students for life as adults, it should aim to provide those students with as many opportunities to get ready for the real world as possible.
It’s great to see Butler Area, BC3 and IHS give our students this chance.
— KL
