Building a Healthcare Pipeline: The Importance of Program Design

Looking at my career, and its evolution over the past 22 years, I am reminded that it began by happenstance. I wasn’t one of those little girls who dreamed of being a nurse. I was a “live in the moment” kind of a kid and was completely comfortable in the here and now. I come from the era of typing classes and home economics, which was really the extent of my high school insight into life as an adult. We didn’t have much exposure to career options as part of our school curriculum. I actually stumbled on a volunteer opportunity at a hospital, which was my first glimpse into the world of healthcare.

Fast forward to 2021 and we are surrounded by high school career tracts, job shadowing, healthcare pathways, internships…all available through your local health science high school programs. The chance to learn about healthcare careers is limitless. I had the opportunity to teach a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) program for nearly a decade and I learned so much about the value that these programs bring to the healthcare field. This experience was a critical element as COR was asked to design a CNA program last year for one of our clients. Utilizing our years of experience in the healthcare field, we were able to develop a program that would best suit the needs of our community. There are several key elements to designing a health science program in order to build a solid healthcare pipeline.

• Curriculum: Simply taking a set of objectives and creating ways to teach them is what we call “cookie-cutter education”. Has this ever worked for anyone? Developing a program curriculum goes beyond PowerPoints, workbooks, and lectures. I cannot stress the importance of scaffolding concepts for healthcare students. Learning a body system, seeing what happens when that system fails, and then understanding the treatment behind it is what truly connects the dots for health science students. 
• Simulation: Those of us who have spent any time in education understand the benefits of incorporating psychomotor skills and hands-on learning….but a health science program needs MORE. I have yet to have a clinical experience that was “textbook”. Students need scenario-driven, off-script interactions with simulated patients to allow them to not only get comfortable with skills but to apply the critical thinking that is needed when things do not go according to plans. The goal is to help students make a connection between what they are learning and how they will apply it in the healthcare setting.
• Soft Skills: So often health science programs become about learning the curriculum and passing the exams. Many programs are turning out intelligent and skilled practitioners who are head-down and science-focused. We need to teach students how to deal with angry families and hopeless patients; how to communicate with other disciplines; how to speak up for safety. These attributes are what develop not only a caring provider but one who is far more likely to have longevity in our field. 
• Shadowing: Give students the opportunity to simply observe. I don’t mean the clinical experience with all the pressure to get a long list of items checked-off….I mean the chance to shadow a healthcare provider, to ask questions, and see the real truth behind healthcare. Students need to know that this is the most difficult and rewarding career they will have…let them see and hear that!
• Instructional Calendars: This may be the biggest piece of the program design puzzle. The dynamic between the classroom and hands-on learning needs to be nurtured during the program. You need to take all of the concepts mentioned above and lay them out so that the student not only retains the information but has an impactful learning experience.

Designing a health science program is not for the faint of heart. It is so much more than training and education for a career. The goal should be to pour into these aspiring healthcare providers from a variety of cups. Developing a program that produces well-rounded, skilled, and caring practitioners will solidify a pipeline that will feed the future of healthcare.