IU Health partnership builds the healthcare workforce of tomorrow

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist

Six high school students will learn firsthand what it looks like to work in healthcare. Three will work at IU Health Paoli Hospital, two will work as healthcare assistants, and one will work in information technology in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.

All students are participants in the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway (INCAP), an initiative to prepare them for in-demand jobs. In all, 50 sophomores and juniors will work at 25 employer locations across the state.

IU Health participates as part of our commitment to build the healthcare workforce of tomorrow and build stronger communities by creating pathways for youth.

Participants split their time between work and the classroom and learning career skills while being paid by their employer. Through this innovative program, the students will earn their high school diplomas with the Employment Honors Plus Seal.

“They’re getting an early opportunity to see themselves in healthcare, learn from our teams, and discover careers they may not have known were possible,” said Michelle A. Mitchell, Vice President of Clinical Workforce Development IU Health. “The future of healthcare depends on the people and workforce we develop today. For Indiana’s workforce, we have to start building pathways earlier. Healthcare careers require education, experience, and support, and employers, like IU Health, have a role in helping young people take those first steps,” said Mitchell.

“The greatest opportunity is helping students discover what’s possible before they have to decide what comes next. Many young people know about doctors and nurses, but they may not realize how many other careers it takes to care for patients, from imaging and laboratory science to respiratory therapy and medical assisting.”

For IU Health, this partnership is a chance to support young people early and help them develop a workforce that can care for Indiana in years to come, said Mitchell.

By 2031, 72% of U.S. jobs will require some form of education or training beyond high school, and Indiana is not on track to meet that workplace reality,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, president & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and co-chair of CEMETS iLab Indiana, the coalition of Hoosier leaders building INCAP. iLab leaders have set a goal for the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway of providing education and training to 50,000 Hoosiers by 2034.

Related:

IU Health Paoli Hospital launches apprenticeship program - On Tuesday, Sept. 15, three south-central Indiana high school sophomores started on the road to healthcare careers via a new three-year paid apprenticeship program at IU Health Paoli Hospital.

One breath at a time | IU Health trying to close the gap for respiratory therapists - IU Health says there is a growing demand for respiratory therapists across the nation, especially in Indiana.

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IU Health investment builds pathways to healthcare careers - IU Health’s partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools is expanding opportunities for students at Crispus Attucks High School through new spaces for learning, including an advanced health lab and specialty classrooms. Building on the IU Health Fellows program, the investment strengthens pathways to healthcare careers and helps develop Indiana’s workforce of tomorrow.