Brooks Brings Employers and Educators Together to Talk Health Care Careers
NOBLESVILLE, Ind.— Today, Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN05) is hosting Connecting Careers and Classrooms: Health Care at Riverview Hospital with educators and health care employers from the fifth district to discuss ways to prepare young Hoosiers for the jobs of the 21st century. More than 75 middle and high school teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators are scheduled to participate in the event which is designed to help educators learn about and share the wide variety of career opportunities available to their students in a given field.
“There is an information gap out there,” Brooks said. “So many of our students don’t know about the career opportunities that exist in the industries right in our backyard. Through our Connecting Careers and Classrooms events, we’re helping to bridge that gap by giving educators, people who have a tremendous influence on our kids, the opportunity to see first-hand the variety of careers available today. We picked the health care industry as the focus of today’s event because nearly 10 percent of Indiana’s workforce is in health care, and that number is growing.”
Connecting Careers and Classrooms: Health Care features seven health care industry partners and several district schools who will be showcasing existing career development programs that seek to engage students in health care fields. Participating educators will hear panel discussions on careers in patient care, support and indirect care, and on how to build effective partnerships between local schools and the health care industry. In addition, educators will tour the Riverview Health facility and have the opportunity to network with other participants.
“There’s a shortage of nurses and doctors in Indiana,” Brooks continued. “Over half the counties in our state have been designated medically underserved, and we’ve got to engage more young people in health care careers to help meet the needs of our communities and continue to attract businesses and talent to our region. This is about the careers of the future, and getting young Hoosiers ready to meet the challenges and opportunities those careers present. I greatly appreciate all of our health care industry partners, and I hope participants in today’s event walk away with good information and some new ideas about how to inspire and engage the next generation of health care leaders.”
Today’s event features representatives from Riverview Hospital, IU Health, Miller’s Health Systems, Dr. Desiree Dimond, DDS, St. Vincent Health, Community Health Network and Express Scripts. Local schools asked to discuss existing health care career development programs include Tipton High School, Anderson High School, Marion High School, Blackford High School, Noblesville High School and Hamilton Heights High School.
This is the fourth Connecting Careers and Classrooms event that Congresswoman Brooks has hosted for fifth district educators since being elected to Congress. Previous events have focused on careers in agribusiness, technology and life sciences. Including participants at today’s event, more than 300 educators have attended Connecting Careers and Classrooms. Participants who attend have the opportunity to earn continuing education credit along with the chance to connect with top employers in the area.
More information about the Connecting Careers and Classrooms event series and a complete list of speakers and panelists participating in today’s event is available online here.