A new program at Cleveland-based University Hospitals that gives high school students a glimpse into nursing careers is proving worthwhile in attracting more young people to healthcare — a growing priority for many health systems looking to bolster the pipeline of future clinicians.
In June, the health system announced an expansion of its Future Nurse Academy, which went live with an inaugural class of 26 students last summer. This year, more than 1,000 students applied to the application-based program, which has expanded to accommodate 75 participants who are in their sophomore, junior or senior year in high school. The demand sends optimistic signs about younger generations' interest in the profession, Michelle Hereford, MSHA, RN, FACHE, chief nurse executive at UH and the Ethel Morikis Endowed Chair in Nursing Leadership, told Becker's. Already, the initiative is demonstrating success in encouraging young people to pursue careers in healthcare.
While the system is still collecting data from the inaugural group of participants, early trends are promising: One third of last year's participants are enrolled in college nursing programs that will begin this fall, Ms. Hereford said.
The Future Nurse Academy is hosted in three sessions at different local nursing programs in the Cleveland area, each of which are 10 days. Participants receive hands-on training in various skills, including practice taking blood pressure and drawing blood on simulated arms. During field trips to the hospital, students are introduced to different specialty areas, including pediatrics and the emergency department.
"Our goal is to make sure that our students are able to see the full picture of different options and how to enter this profession," she said, adding that many students from the first cohort leveraged their experience in the academy to get internships.
"It was absolutely eye opening to watch members of our future workforce engage in the way they did," Ms. Hereford said. "They were extremely eager to learn and we were extremely eager to teach."
The program reflects a national trend of health systems collaborating more closely with local schools to develop talent pipelines. In January, 13 major health systems partnered with high schools in urban and rural communities to transition students directly into high-demand healthcare jobs upon graduation.