Fostering future healthcare leaders

This month, IU Health hosted an event celebrating some of the talent pipeline partnerships with career and technical education high school programs across the West Region.

The event, hosted at the Greater Lafayette Career Academy (GLCA), a partner in the program, featured high school CTE programs from Boone, Clinton, Tippecanoe, Pulaski and White counties. Numerous IU Health team members were present to answer student questions and provide career information.

Current and former students in the partnership shared their experiences to inspire additional students interested in a healthcare career to showcase how IU Health could support them in reaching their goals.

IU Health has hired 36 students into entry level positions over the past 18 months as a direct result of these school partnerships. Students are working in a variety of clinical and non-clinical roles where they are employed PRN, part-time or full-time.

“IU Health has multiple different options for career success. For the recent high school graduate who wants to immediately join the workforce full-time, IU Health has many challenging and meaningful career opportunities. Students who plan to attend college also have ample opportunities to work in PRN and part-time roles while pursing higher education,” says Matt DeGolyer, K-12 program lead consultant. “Many of these entry-level roles directly complement their academic studies and serve as a great way to gain experience, network and build skills that will assist them later in their healthcare career of choice.”

What students are saying

Sydney Copeland, pictured above, who grew up in the Lafayette area, first heard about the GLCA as a junior at McCutcheon High School. She completed the emergency medical technician (EMT) program at GLCA and did her clinical rotation with IU Health while in high school.

“I was definitely thinking long-term,” she says.

Now, as a full-time student at Indiana University in Bloomington with plans to be a surgeon one day, Copeland is part of the IU Health LifeLine team as an EMT.

It’s not your typical part-time college job.

“This is [a job] that’s going to be useful to me in the future,” she says. “Plus, the money that I make definitely helps offset the cost of my rent and tuition.”

She works PRN, at least two 12-hour shifts per month, and says it’s more manageable than most students would think.

“A lot of it is just planning ahead and having good time management.”

Copeland loves being part of the statewide IU Health team because she can work as an EMT in Bloomington while she is in college and pick up shifts at home in Lafayette when she’s home on break.

Shawn Phosingkham, pictured with microphone, a high school senior from Lafayette currently taking medical assisting (MA) classes through the GLCA, says the program has been a confidence-booster that will set him up for success.

“A few months ago, I really didn’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t as confident in my abilities as I am now,” he says. “We have learned how to do things like CPR, blood pressure, vital signs, medical terminology and patient care.”

After completing high school—he plans to attend Indiana University Bloomington in the fall—he is considering coming back to Greater Lafayette to start his career.

“My family is the biggest factor. They have known that I want to be in the medical field and help people out for as long as I can remember, and I feel like it’s only right that I pursue that here,” he says. “Another thing is just my community in general. My community has helped me so much—supporting me with my dreams, supporting me with my education. Lafayette is a growing community and with that comes people that need [medical care] and so it is a good opportunity to give back to a community that has helped me.”