Hospital Prepares High School Students for Health Careers

LYNNE JETER

Hospital Prepares High School Students for Health Careers | Florida Hospital, Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences, Lake Nona High School Health Careers Academy, Don Williams, Becky Niemann, Kathy Grace

Hospital room used for training Health Careers Academy students.

Unique Partnership between Florida Hospital East Orlando and Lake Nona High School Provides Hands-On Experience

LAKE NONA--Florida Hospital East Orlando has unveiled a new way to introduce health careers to high school students for a real-world, hands-on experience.

This fall, the Florida Hospital and its College of Health Sciences is introducing an innovative one-of-its-kind Health Careers Academy at Lake Nona High School, which will convert a 1,400-square-foot classroom into a simulated lab featuring five hospital rooms and state-of-the-art hospital equipment. The intensive education program will also offer the opportunity for students to participate in dual enrollment and achieve healthcare certifications by graduation time.

The Health Careers Academy reflects another proactive way Florida Hospital is investing in future generations while also addressing healthcare shortage trends in the metro Orlando area.

"If students think they have a passion for medicine, and are interested in innovative technologies, the Lake Nona High School Health Careers Academy is the place for them," said Becky Niemann, corporate development director and creator of this partnership. "This is a unique and powerful partnership among the school, the hospital, and the Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences."

Florida Hospital East Orlando is a teaching hospital with residencies in family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, osteopathic treatment, podiatry, sports medicine, women's health and emergency medicine.

Bucking the Trend

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare is one of few industries predicting staffing growth to accommodate baby boomers as they morph into senior adults, at the same time many healthcare professionals – baby boomers themselves – will enter retirement.
 
In a December 2008 survey distributed to 329 large healthcare hiring managers and human resource professionals nationwide, one in five healthcare employers with 50 or more employees planned to increase the number of full-time, permanent employees in 2009, while 67 percent predicted little or uncertain change.
 
Of particular concern: The Florida Center for Nursing confirmed in May the state lacks a sufficient flow of new nurses to make up for those nearing retirement age by 2020.
 
"Shortages in nursing … tend to respond to economic drivers," said Mary Lou Brunell, executive director of the Florida Center for Nursing. "This shortage … isn't driven by the economy, but by an aging population—both nurses and patients."
 
To fill employment gaps across the United States, CareerBuilder predicted healthcare recruitment trends for 2009 would include more flexibility, recruitment tools, retaining and rehiring employees, contracting freelancer workers, and adding "green" jobs involving environmentally conscious design, policy and technology to improve the conservation and sustainability.
 
Of those trends, the most noteworthy one involves flexible scheduling. This year, 41 percent of healthcare employers provided more flexible work arrangements for their employees, including alternative schedules (72 percent), compressed work weeks (52 percent), telecommuting (41 percent), job sharing (17 percent) and summer hours (8 percent).
 
"With the rate of populations increasing and the aging of the baby boomer generation, the healthcare industry will continue to be challenged in ways we have never seen before," said Kathy Grace, chief nursing officer at Florida Hospital East Orlando. "Healthcare careers are in demand for a variety of techs, therapists, RNs, MDs and a variety of specialties, such as cardiology. There are amazing career opportunities within the rewarding field of medicine. The Health Careers Academy is a unique and wonderful entry into our world of caring."
The curriculum is driven by the Florida Hospital College, which is regionally accredited and specializes in nursing and allied health education. The curriculum will expose students to proper CPR, patient positioning and ambulating, anatomy and physiology, how to take vital signs, understanding diet restrictions, microbiology, infection control, HIPAA patient privacy compliance, and much more.

Don Williams, academic dean of the Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences, said, "Along with Florida Hospital East, we're excited to partner on such an important project with a quality institution like Lake Nona High School. I believe it will make a difference in the lives of many students."

The specially designed classroom will also feature high-tech telecommunications equipment, which will transport students from the classroom into hospital settings, where they can virtually visit various hospital departments, speak to professionals, such as pharmacists, cardiologists and other healthcare professionals. This equipment will even allow students opportunities to view certain surgeries in connection with the Florida Hospital Nicolson Center for Surgical Advancement.

Health Careers Academy students will receive a kit including a Health Careers Academy lab coat, their own stethoscope, gloves, mask and clinical supplies.

"The goals of the program are to spark interest in medicine early on, expose students to healthcare careers, offer career guidance, allow students to experience a hospital environment and learn from healthcare professionals, create a healthcare curriculum, assist with career pathways and higher education, and provide dual enrollment opportunities," said Niemann.

Students will have dual enrollment and certification opportunities in areas such as an occupational therapy assistant, and other medical-related careers still to be determined.

"The hands-on teaching tools will include 3D models, SIM mannequins, skeletons, web and book resources, and health education videos," said Kathy Grace, chief nursing officer at Florida Hospital East Orlando. "The quality of education and hands-on learning that this Health Careers Academy provides will surely produce excellent candidates for our future caregivers."