The New Hampshire Needs Caregivers!, a grant-funded initiative, has launched a new program, Healthcare Heroes in the Making, to encourage and support high school students who want to explore and start a pathway in a healthcare career. The program will recruit, train and place upwards of 300 high school students, across the state 16 years of age and older, as licensed nursing assistants to fill critical in-demand positions in New Hampshire’s healthcare workforce shortage.
“There has been a significant healthcare workforce shortage across the state and country over the last few years that needs to be addressed in creative and forward-thinking ways,” said Lynn Carpenter, NH Needs Caregivers! program director. “Healthcare Heroes in the Making will create pathways for youth to explore a wide variety of healthcare settings through a pipeline of caregivers that will help the sector care for its most vulnerable population. As we build off the success of the adult program over the past two years, we have seen a lot of enthusiasm from schools and employers for this new model dedicated to high school students who are interested in jump-starting a career in healthcare.”
Healthcare Heroes in the Making will provide high school students in New Hampshire with opportunities to explore a career in healthcare through education, skills and licensure. The program pays for training and licensing costs and provides a great way for students to learn lifetime skills, get academic credit and gain clinical hours for the future. In total, the program requires 110 hours of time, with 50 hours of theory and 60 hours of clinical training at a long-term care facility.
“As an afterschool and after sports program, I knew this was going to get me started in the healthcare field and to see if it a career that I really want to pursue before heading into college,” said Abhi Alley-Violette, a sophomore who learned about the program through her ELO (extended learning opportunities) coordinator at Sanborn Regional High School. “I enjoy all of the hands-on learning during the clinicals and helping nursing home patients with meals, activities of daily living, and more.”
Healthcare Heroes in the Making is open to high schools across the state with 16 schools and 72 students approved to participate in the program to date.
To learn more, visit NHNeedsCaregivers.org/high-school-caregivers.
This post originally appeared in The Laconia Daily Sun on May 17, 2022.