Partnerships to Growing a Healthcare Workforce

Patricia M. Noga, RN, MBA, CNAA

Sr. Director, Clinical Affairs

Source: http://www.nchste.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/phoenix.ppt#1

Source: http://www.nchste.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/phoenix.ppt#1

Allied Health Professions in Greatest Demand

• Radiation Therapists• Respiratory Therapists• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers• Surgical Technologists• Radiological Technologists• Medical Laboratory Technologists• Pharmacists• Nuclear Medicine Technologists

(The Boston Foundation, 2006)

Allied Health Professions with Highest Vacancy Rates at MA Hospitals

• Physical Therapist 9.5%• Physician Assistant 9.0%• Occupational Therapy Asst. 8.0%• Occupational Therapist 7.0%• Medical Record Coder 6.5%• LPN 6.5%• Ultrasound Tech 6.0%• Physical Therapist Assistant 6.0%• Staff Registered Nurse 6.0% (MHA, February 2006)

What’s the Single Most Important Reason for a Career Choice?

Motivators All Students

Students Interested in Nursing

Sense of making a difference/benefiting people’s lives

57% 71%

A sense of feeling what you do is important

50% 67%

Having a stable, secure job

47% 56%

Good salary/money 43% 50%(Ives Erickson et al. 2005)

School-Hospital Partnerships

Health Careers Academy

• College preparatory high school  for Boston students exploring careers in the health professions and related fields

• Collaboration with 3 hospitals

• Health Engagement Coordinator – Links classroom with the real world– Resource to students– Works with teachers to integrate concepts into the classroom

Source: http://healthcareersacademy.org/HOME.html

Metrowest Community Health Care Foundation

• Partnership of area nursing leaders to address nursing shortages in 25-town service area, including 4 hospitals

• Nurse Power multifaceted campaign

• Educational booklets to 300 sites, shopping mall kiosks, scholarship applications

• Health profession career days, internships, Nurse Power lunches, Nurse Power Club after school program

Source: http://www.nursepower.net

Worcester Technical High School• Allied Health & Human Services program

• Long standing partnership with St. Vincent’s Hospital for externships, on the job training, licensure/certification, employment

• Instructor in high school oversees partnership program with St. Vincent’s

• School based health care center clinicians role model, integrate concepts into classroom

Baystate Health/Springfield Public Schools Educational Partnership (BSEP)

• Goals:

1. build relationships with motivated and

capable students

2. guide these students' experiences and

academic paths towards careers in the

medical field • Large focus on academic foundation and employability

skills

Baystate Health/Springfield Public Schools Educational Partnership (BSEP)

• Training programs: CNA, lab assistant, phlebotomist, health information tech

• Success with initial large group programming, then job shadowing and internships for those interested in a profession

• Hospital driven program: – “We went out to the schools”– “How can hospitals work better with schools?” – Both are complex, have own agenda

Trends in School-Hospital Partnerships

• More organized partnerships forming

• College prep programs trying to include vocational prep and vocational prep trying to include college prep

• More focus on trying to figure out how to better prepare students for chosen career pathway

Trends in School-Hospital Partnerships

• Career Academy – national network emerging

• Hospitals supporting employees in ascending chosen career pathway, i.e. “pipeline programs”

• Challenge: how to facilitate & support student employee to work & to attend school

How to Partner with a Hospital

1. Designate “point person” or liaison at your school

– Teacher with interest– Health Teacher– Teacher with health background– School Nurse– Career specialist– Guidance Counselor

How to Partner with a Hospital

2. “Point person” or liaison at your school– Talk the language of health care professional &

language of educator– Function as gatekeeper– Match students with a hospital experience– Ideal to have health background– Resource to teachers for integrating health

careers and topics into the classroom– Identified as the resource by students

How to Partner with a Hospital

3. “Point person” or liaison at your school– Contact hospital Human Resource Department

for identified resource• Human Resources• Workforce Development• Organizational Development• Community Health• Volunteer Department• Professional Development Departments

How to Partner with a Hospital

4. Point person/liaison at your school– Develop relationship with hospital contact – Begin to collaborate on developing a program that will

benefit both school and hospital communities– Learn each others culture– Meet on regular basis to sustain the relationship and work

toward goals– Network with other schools and hospitals to benchmark,

share approaches, enhance your work– Encourage expanding partnerships

Source: http://www.nchste.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/phoenix.ppt#1

Building partnerships to grow our healthcare workforce….

….Where do you go from here?