The healthcare industry is among the most rewarding and impactful fields, with opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. While many teens may have yet to consider a career path, inspiring and engaging them early on is essential. By fostering their interests and providing meaningful experiences, Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) works to cultivate the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Exposure to Diverse Healthcare Experiences
The best way to get teens interested in pursuing a healthcare career is to show there is more than just being a doctor or a nurse. The most commonly known medical roles. PMC’s recruitment team makes yearly visits to local high schools to introduce these new career paths to students. These presentations show students careers they can pursue with a college degree, a certification, or even while still in school. This opens new doors for students who never considered a medical career before. Sparking teen interest in careers like Medical Lab Technologists, Rad Techs, Pharmacy Techs, and more.
Highlighting Real-life Impact
Storytelling is a tool that PMC uses to keep teens interested in a future in healthcare. Sharing the stories of PMC staff’s real-life connections with patients, families, and the community shows the impact of what we really do. PMC shares these inspiring stories on the PMC, WFIC, and PMCJobs social media channels and on TV. Understanding the potential to make a difference can ignite a sense of purpose and motivation in teens.
Providing Volunteer and Internship Opportunities
Pikeville Medical Center offers both internship and teen volunteer opportunities. This hands-on experience allows them to witness daily operations, interact with patients, and contribute to the healthcare team. Whether it’s assisting with administrative tasks, supporting patient engagement initiatives, or shadowing healthcare professionals. These experiences can spark teens’ interest and give them a taste of the rewarding aspects of healthcare.
Leveraging Technology
At Pikeville Medical Center, we use technology to keep teens engaged! For example, we’ve established an engaging social media presence where we encourage teens to become hospital volunteers so they can gain experience working in healthcare. Keeping up with the latest social media trends and hashtags is crucial in our mission to get teens involved in healthcare!
Experiential Learning in Healthcare
Our Workforce Innovation Center (WFIC) provides hands-on learning experiences that simulate healthcare scenarios for teens in Pike County and surrounding areas. We collaborate with local high schools to allow students to experience real-life medical scenarios in a controlled environment. With the help of various departments, teens across Pike County can visit the WFIC to perform simulations on medical dummies such as wound care, IV insertions, intubations, CPR, and first aid. During their visit, students also have the opportunity to look at X-rays, view blood samples under microscopes, and hear about different career paths in medicine.
Providing Financial Assistance
Going into the healthcare field can often prove to be a financial burden. Because of this, we offer financial assistance to any teen interested in pursuing a healthcare career after high school. After students complete their simulations at the WFIC, they’ll have the chance to talk to our team members about receiving financial assistance for their education if they choose to work at Pikeville Medical Center upon completing their program or school.
Showcasing Success
Many teens want to pursue a career that they will succeed in. Our newsletter, PMC Insider, is one way that we showcase employee successes, such as certifications and other notable achievements. By highlighting the successes of our 3,000+ employees, we inspire teens to get involved and become part of the team!
Keeping Our Community Updated
We keep teens updated on current events at Pikeville Medical Center in many ways. We regularly update our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and blog to show local adults and teens what’s going on at the hospital! This promotes interest in what we’re doing, our impact, and how they can get involved. Our hospital teams work diligently to create a valuable online community where teens can stay connected with the hospital’s activities. By doing this, we keep them interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.
Engaging teens in healthcare requires a multi-faceted approach that combines exposure, experience, and inspiration by working with the Workforce Innovation Center to provide meaningful opportunities and foster a supportive environment. Pikeville Medical Center can ignite teen interest, nurture their passion, and cultivate the next generation of healthcare professionals. We work to empower teens to embark on a fulfilling journey in healthcare where they can make a lasting impact!