Never underestimate the power of a collective - when there is a big problem to solve it takes a big push! It's always more fun when you get to do it with smart and passionate people so a HUGE thanks to the recruiter committee, event team and volunteers who made this possible!
Inspiring the Next Generation of Health Care Professionals! Yesterday, the Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council (KCMHC), a partnership of Kansas Hospital Association and the Missouri Hospital Association and the Real World Learning initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation hosted an Explore Your Future in Healthcare Event for middle and high school students. Over 500 students came through an experience to define their dreams in healthcare, do "at least" 5 hands on experiences (with over 50 to choose from) and then set their next steps to achieve their dreams by meeting with funders, education partners and employers ready to make them work. The early feedback from students is amazing! Here are just a few examples: Overall: 4.8 star rating by students. 93% have more of an interest in a career in healthcare after this event Student Comments: "One of my favorite hands on activity was when I made lotion with a UMKC person through the experiment of compounding. I liked this because the chemistry behind the experiment was quite interesting. How the chemicals react to each other is quite a sight to see for me." "The KU med anesthesia was my favorite hands on activity because the Doctor leading the activity was very informative and helpful when learning about our activity." "VR it gave me good insight on surgery." "The self defense class because I learned a lot about the security in hospitals and also learned my own ways to protect myself." "The cybersecurity, because I found it interesting." Their goal was 5 activities... below are typical badges. Teachers actually had a hard time pulling their students out of the session! The Future of Healthcare Staffing will be great with these students leading the way! Thank you to all those who helped plan and support this event! Anna Hennes, MBA, Jill Williams, MEd, SHRM-SCP, Jaron Caffrey, Hannah Morales, Steve Stiglic, Morgan G. Angie Richardson, SHRM-CP, Traci Manis, Jamie Young , M.A., and many others who made this event come to life! #healthcareworkforce #KCfuture #nextgenerationstaffing #workforcedevelopment