Champlain Valley Area Health Education Center in partnership with area hospitals is working to build a strong network of healthcare providers willing to engage students in career exploration activities.

It has become exceedingly difficult to attract new professionals into healthcare fields and the number of providers needed is on the rise. To address this problem, we must work together and think creatively to help students that are interested in health careers choose one that will be fulfilling and meet the needs of their community. For interested candidates, choosing one of over 300 health careers can be both confusing and frightening. The level of education, workload and commitment needed to enter these types of fields makes the process even more intimidating. Experiencing a profession firsthand or talking with a member of a given occupation can play an essential role in a student’s lifelong pursuit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our goal is to develop and expand recruitment and retention efforts by creating a list of professionals who are willing to participate in a variety of educational activities such as mentoring, job shadowing, internships and more. CVAHEC and our educational partners will then use this list to assist students in career exploration.

The following is a partial list of career exploration activities that we ask you to become involved in:

• Job Shadow – students follow a professional in their work setting for a brief period in order to get an understanding of that occupation.
  
  
• Internships – students spend a specified period with an employer in order to get an understanding of that occupation.
  
  
• Site visits/tours – as part of a class project, students visit a site to gain a broad overview of different professions.
  
  
• Presentations – professionals visit a classroom to engage students in hands-on discussion of their profession or an aspect of health and the relevance to education.
  
  
• Career fairs – career awareness through fun, interactive booths with brochures, handouts and a display representing a health care occupation.
  
  
• Mentors – a sustained relationship between a youth and a professional, which offers role modeling, support, advocacy, and career awareness.
  
  
• Teacher summer internship/job shadow program – an opportunity for teachers to experience the world of business through an extended, paid learning experience or through an unpaid, one-day experience that enables teachers to integrate new skills or knowledge into the classroom.

Please see sidebar to request more information.