DiversityNursing Blog

Hospitals are hiring or accepting volunteer teens and young adults as a long-term strategy to help combat shortages in the healthcare industry. 

Research shows, exposure to various healthcare fields is crucial to the development of career interests for adolescents and young adults. 

Earn while you learn programs give high school students the opportunity to gain knowledge in the field and make a better wage than the average part time jobs students often take.

These programs offer roles such as:

• Food Services
• Transportation
• Manage Gift Shop
• Medical Library
• Patient Support
• Environmental Services
• Administrative Support
• Translator

According to Becker's Hospital Review, Mount Carmel launched its inaugural patient-facing role for those 16 and older: a student support associate position.

Student support associates work as part of the care team, with a multi-skilled technician. The younger workers can help with tasks such as bathing patients, taking patients' vital signs and restocking equipment. 

"We did elect to have specific criteria that students coming to us are actively enrolled in a Nursing program or a pre-Nursing program throughout their high school [career], so that we are really looking to support and foster their interest in long-term career growth and positioning them well to continue to work for us after they graduate from high school and ultimately matriculate into a Nursing program or another allied health program," Mount Carmel Regional Director of Talent Acquisition Rachel Barb told Becker's.

Volunteer programs help plant the seed and further educational opportunities for young adults.

Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia offers a volunteer Summer program where teens get to learn about different positions in the hospital and get hands-on experience at the hospital’s simulation lab.

Dr. Steve Narang, President of Inova Fairfax Medical Campus says to volunteers, "We are taking care of human beings, and this is just a gateway whether you want to be an accountant, whether you want to be in security, whether you want to be in IT or whether you want to be at the bedside. There’s a job for you in healthcare.”

Abrazo West Campus Hospital in Arizona hosts a volunteer program with interactive workshops.

“In those workshops, they have someone’s undivided attention, so they have a surgeon, a specialist, a radiologist that’s up there, and they tell them everything from A to Z, salary, challenges, rewards, education, the best career paths to take,” said Barry Worman, Director of Volunteer Services.

As we start the new year, we take a look at trends we expect to see in the Nursing field. Many health experts agree staffing has been and will continue to be the top healthcare issue.

Nurse Shortage

Many factors play into the staffing crisis like the pandemic, retiring Nurses, and high rates of burnout.

Rhonda Thompson, DNP, CNO and SVP of Patient Care Services at Phoenix Children's Hospital told Beckers Hospital Review, "The nursing shortage affecting health systems nationwide will continue to be a challenge in 2022. This has a greater impact than just unfilled positions and scheduling sufficient nurses based on a high patient census. It also means our experienced staff nurses are investing a great deal of time onboarding and training newly licensed nurses, in addition to their own daily bedside care responsibilities. To solve this, it will take collaboration and commitment from our health systems, staff, and academic partners."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 194,500 openings for Registered Nurses are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Increase In At-Home Healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic created a demand for at-home healthcare that continues to grow.

According to Forbes, the Home Care Providers industry is among the fastest growing healthcare industries in the United States. "Industry revenue, according to IBISWorld, has grown at an annualized rate of 2.2% to $96.9 billion over the past five years."

At-home healthcare has many benefits. So much so, last year a bill called the Choose Home Care Act 2021 was presented to Congress. If passed, this would give patients the opportunity to leave the hospital and recover at home with a mix of expanded skilled Nursing, therapy, personal care, telehealth services, and more.

Prioritizing The Well-Being Of Healthcare Workers

The pandemic has pushed an already stressed-out career field to its breaking point. Nurses are facing high rates of burnout and compassion fatigue.

Compassion fatigue is the emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events.

According to J. Maben and J. Bridges (2020), the pandemic has led Nurses to experience the highest level of stress that has ever been recorded compared to other professions.

Healthcare organizations and leaders have the opportunity and the responsibility to support and prioritize their staff's mental and physical well-being.

These healthcare workers have given so much of themselves they have nothing left to give and yet they are still showing up day after day under impossible circumstances. But for how much longer?

Nurses want to feel valued and safe in their work environment. Healthcare organizations must ensure Nurses are equipped with resources and the support they need to provide quality care.

Nursing School Online

The pandemic forced Nursing schools to provide their classes online to avoid the spread of the virus. Many institutions have continued the online learning option for some of their programs.

According to a report from Inside Higher Ed, about 60% of colleges and universities do plan to keep some of their undergraduate programs fully online.

Online schools provide a great opportunity for Nurses who are looking to advance further in their education, but don't have the time to physically attend classes between shifts.