Care + Career

 Article originally featured in access™ 2018, volume II

Contributors: Beth Brown, CTE Advisor
Masud Shamsid-Deen, Executive Director of CTE

Hospital Partnership Propels Success

Career & Technical Education (CTE) in high schools is gaining momentum, and it’s easy to see why. It’s been proven to reduce dropout rates, increase graduation rates and even increase the likelihood of graduates going on to further their education after high school.*

Plus, the demand for healthcare continues to rise. Getting students career-ready earlier can help students gain employment upon graduation. And if they want to further their education, that job not only can help support their tuition, but can also give them real-world healthcare experience to help them on their career journey.

There’s no arguing that CTE works, and that health science in high schools is needed. But what makes a health science program successful?

Article originally featured in access™ 2018, volume II

Contributor: Collie Wells, Interim Deputy State Superintendent of Education, Career and Technical Education/Workforce Development Division 

When the Alabama Department of Education set out to improve their CTE programming, they started with research, gaining insights from business and industry to determine what employers are looking for or lacking in potential candidates.

“We want to make sure that students who exit secondary career tech programs are actually prepared with skills that are going to help them get employed,” says Collie Wells, Interim Deputy State Superintendent of Education, Career and Technical Education/Workforce Development Division. “We started having lots of conversations with business and industry throughout the state to find out, ‘What do you really need from potential employees? What are you missing? What are they lacking?’”

NHA recently hosted a roundtable discussion with allied health educators and one of the largest employers of medical assistants in the United States. We discovered opportunities to work more closely, share information and create a network to support allied health students becoming employed professionals faster — and with the right sets of skills.

Not only was it a great learning experience for everyone who attended, but there were some takeaways we wanted to make sure we passed on to our certification holders, candidates and educators across the country. Below are some themes we uncovered at our most recent employer-educator summit.

February is CTE Month®, a time to bring recognition and awareness to the impact Career and Technical Education has on the lives of so many hospitals, patients, teachers and students, like Omar.

February is CTE Month®, an annual ACTE-sponsored campaign that celebrates Career and Technical Education and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country.

We’re proud to partner with some of the nation’s best educators to enhance students’ skills, knowledge and qualifications — putting them on the path to a rewarding career in health care.

This work is powerful. We know that. But we wanted to share some facts and figures that prove it.