Here’s how to help high school students fast track their future in healthcare

Remember when you were a junior or senior in high school, and everyone started asking you what you wanted to be or where you were going next? It seemed like such an overwhelming and monumental question – and you likely hadn’t considered many career options. Students need opportunities to build awareness and interest in a range of careers to help them enroll in and study the areas that will match their aptitudes and goals.

Recently, through partnerships with the Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council (KCMHC) and Real World Learning in Kansas City and the St. Louis Metropolitan Hospital Council (SLMHC) and EdPlus in St. Louis, we were able to connect high school students with a wide variety of healthcare careers and the resources to help them achieve their goals. We saw students make hiring connections or enroll in sponsorship programs with employers, find options for their post-high school education, and work with various intermediaries that can provide funding and support to help them reach the next step on their career path.

These “Fast Track Your Future” events are just one of the awareness and interest-building activities that the KCMHC and SLMHC are investing in to ensure that the healthcare workforce of tomorrow is ready to care for the citizens of the cities they serve. In fact, 74% of those attending left with a next step for pursuing their education, employment, or training.

Are you in healthcare in KC or St Louis and interested in participating in future awareness and interest activities? Reach out, and we’ll connect you.