Teaching Healthcare to Students of All Backgrounds

With news items stating that “62% of hospitals [have] nurse vacancies rates higher than 7.5%”¹ and “About one in five health-care workers has left their job since the pandemic started”² the industry needs this boost: a California Department of Health Care Access and Information grant for $2.2 million to encourage kids in high school to pursue careers in healthcare.

Hands-on training for students in underrepresented communities will provide for those interested in learning more about—with the hope of becoming—medical assistants, radiologic technicians, certified nurse assistants, and more. Cabiria Lizarrago, RN, the nurse manager at UC San Diego Health which received the grant, said, “We’re seeing data both regionally and statewide that there is a disparity between the diversity of nursing staff and patients served. This grant will provide us with the chance to address opportunity gaps among health care providers and increase diversity within our team, which we believe in turn will decrease health care disparities, and ultimately improve lives.”

 

Read the press release.

1. https://hospitalcareers.com/blog/why-healthcare-workers-are-leaving/

2. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/11/the-mass-exodus-of-americas-health-care-workers/620713/