Tomorrow’s Healthcare Workforce
Case Study
Tomorrow’s Healthcare Workforce
The transformation taking place in the healthcare industry to new models of care means that we need to plan for a future workforce equipped with updated skills and experience to take on new challenges.
While many of NYACH’s efforts focus on the healthcare workforce of today—both incumbent workers and new entrants—the 2017-2021 NYACH Ready for Healthcare initiative took a step even further back in the pipeline to work with high school students to help prepare them as the health professionals of the future.
Program Design
The NYACH Ready for Healthcare initiative developed and tested a new educational model through direct implementation and evaluation in three different phases over four years.
First, NYACH worked with employer partners to understand the skills they demand from young professionals as well as what real and perceived barriers employers faced in engaging with students to directly support their learning and skills development. NYACH also heard from school leaders about their experiences collaborating with healthcare employers and youth development experts on how to structure learning activities to be effective for high school students.
After assessing the relevant landscape, NYACH then built the new work-based learning model, designing learning activities relevant to the skills employers need while also being developmentally appropriate for students. These modules were coupled with a new supportive toolkit for educators, students, and employers to help with implementation, featuring customizable tools for a range of work-based learning activities.
Program Implementation
Lastly, NYACH piloted the new model in partnership with four Department of Education (DOE) Career and Technical Education (CTE) healthcare high schools and 79 local healthcare employers, working with a local youth development nonprofit as implementation partner. The four-year, scaffolded high school program model, featured a first year focused on a new foundational curriculum based heavily on the NYACH Core Competencies, a second year centered on career exploration (which included guest speakers, job tours, career expos, and mentorship), the third on building professional skills through a project-based internship, and the last on building technical skills through a clinical internship.
While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted some aspects of its implementation, the program succeeded in delivering quality preparation for students and creating a model in which healthcare employers engaged meaningfully in work-based learning.
Learn More
Learn more about the program by reading our 10-Year Anniversary Report.
Access the NYACH Ready for Healthcare toolkit.