Building Healthcare Career Pathways: How AHW Funding is Supporting Student Success in Wisconsin

With healthcare workforce shortages identified as one of the top three threats to providing high-quality care in Wisconsin, finding innovative ways to attract and retain healthcare workers has become increasingly critical. While numerous programs across the state have historically provided health career exploration opportunities to high school students, there has been a notable gap in college-level initiatives—a time when many students are making crucial decisions about their future careers.

Through a $389,065 grant from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW), community partner NEWAHEC: Northeastern Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (NEWAHEC) and Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) primary academic partner Leslie Ruffalo (Patterson), PhD MS (Family and Community Medicine), collaborated to develop an innovative solution to address this challenge: a comprehensive certificate program that introduces students to clinical, administrative, public health, and research roles while providing hands-on learning experiences.

Developing the Healthcare Path2Practice Certificate Program

The Healthcare Path2Practice (P2P) project began receiving AHW funding in July 2020, aiming to create meaningful healthcare career exploration opportunities for both high school and college students. The initiative responds to a challenge identified in the Wisconsin Hospital Association's (WHA’s) 2018 Healthcare Workforce report, which named workforce shortages as one of the top three most significant threats to providing high-quality care in our state.

While there have been numerous health career exploration opportunities provided to high school students over the years, there's been a notable gap in college-level initiatives. This gap is particularly concerning given that, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly half of all post-secondary students enter college undecided about their major, and approximately 30% of those who declare a major change it at least once.

Early exposure to career options can significantly boost Wisconsin's future healthcare workforce. WHA's report specifically emphasizes the importance of developing health career pathways and calls on employers to "attract workers from all generations to enter and remain in healthcare professions."

Through the P2P certificate program, project partners are working to address this need by creating structured opportunities for students to explore various healthcare careers and make informed decisions about their professional paths.

"This project holds so much promise," said Dr. Ruffalo. "The intention behind it and the goal, the short-term and long-term goals, the way that it leans into local community partnerships and collaborations, it's so visionary and great."

Creating and Refining the Curriculum

The project team took a methodical approach to developing the program, first piloting the curriculum and then incorporating participant feedback before launching a revised version in late 2022. This process helped ensure the program’s content would fulfill students' needs while meeting educational objectives.

"When we think healthcare and we think starting point, everybody thinks nursing or doctors—we forget about respiratory therapists and all the different careers that students aren't thinking about," said Kari Mueller , executive director at NEWAHEC. "One of the biggest things with this program is just the exposure. If we can help students keep an open mind about what opportunities they may encounter, or help them plan and research different paths while they're still in high school, that can make a huge difference."

The revised curriculum successfully recruited 15 students to participate in its full launch, while also proving particularly for high school teachers who can incorporate specific modules, such as medical terminology, into their existing curriculums.

"What we've learned is that people really want to customize their educational learning opportunities," Dr. Ruffalo explained. "We've learned that a really key element of delivery in this certificate program has been not so much delivering on a full certificate itself but allowing people to explore the full complement of the individual modules that are embedded within the full course and letting them kind of choose their own adventure."

The program has also helped establish and strengthen NEWAHEC's relationships with local high schools, creating opportunities to inspire students to consider healthcare careers earlier in their educational journey.

Building Sustainable Infrastructure

One of the project's most significant achievements has been the development of NEWAHEC's first learning management system (LMS). This technological infrastructure not only supports the P2P program but has become a valuable resource shared with other AHEC regions across Wisconsin. The integration of the curriculum into the LMS has enhanced both accessibility and sustainability of the program.

"The LMS that NEWAHEC hosts, which we were able to stand up with AHW dollars, has now been built into their standard business operations, and they share it with other AHECs regionally," Dr. Ruffalo noted. "It's been this great resource leverage."

The project team has also focused on strategic marketing and promotion efforts to reach potential participants. These efforts include hosting advertisements on Spotify and YouTube and promoting the course through established relationships with counselors, teachers, and advisors. The project's success and innovative approach have gained national recognition, with findings presented at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Annual Conference.

Looking to the Future

Moving forward, Mueller is focused on making the program more accessible to high school students.

"I would love to eventually someday see this being used as a starting point for freshman or sophomore year," Mueller said. The team is also working on incorporating hands-on activities and in-person visits to complement the online curriculum, creating a hybrid approach that combines the flexibility of virtual learning with practical experience.

The P2P project exemplifies how innovative educational approaches can help address Wisconsin's healthcare workforce challenges. By creating flexible, accessible pathways for students to explore healthcare careers, the project is helping build a stronger, more diverse healthcare workforce for the future. Through funding initiatives like P2P that create sustainable, scalable solutions to Wisconsin's health challenges, AHW continues its commitment to improving the health of Wisconsin residents today and for generations to come.