Mayo Clinic Health System - Health Care Career Promotion

Overview

Immanuel St. Joseph's career programs provide students at different grade levels with the opportunity to experience a variety of health care career options. Programs include a middle school day camp, a high school health career day, and a college career exploration program. Students have opportunities to explore an array of health careers through hands-on activities, behind-the-scenes tours of the pharmacy and laboratories, access to health care professionals, and much more.

Impact

Four hundred students from middle school, high school, and college participate in hospital-sponsored career promotion programs each year. The Minnesota Hospital Association named Immanuel St. Joseph's the 2010 "Health Care Career Promotion Award" winner for its work in promoting health careers.

Challenges/success factors

A Middle School Health Careers Day Camp has been in operation for two years. Each summer, ISJ-MHS hosts the two-day health career day camp intended to increase students' awareness of health careers and pique their interest in health science classes available to them in high school. The students are enthusiastic about their experience, and both students and parents report this to be a positive experience.

ISJ-MHS has sponsored Health Career Day for eight years. Students tour hospital departments and participate in interactive projects that enable them to gain important information about careers in physical therapy, cardiology, nursing, laboratory, respiratory therapy, and radiology. Eighty-five percent of participants report that career day is a worthwhile experience.

Each January, ISJ-MHS offers a College Health Career Exploration program. Eight students participate in this 128-hour job shadow experience. They rotate throughout the hospital, gaining insights into nursing, physical/occupational therapy, community health and hospice care, the sleep center, the physician practice, laboratory, radiology, and biomedical technology.

Future direction/sustainability

ISJ-MHS plans to continue offering these career exploration experiences to local students.

Advice to others

Instructing young people about the myriad job opportunities in hospitals may help inform their choice of a health care career and may contribute to the workforce of the future.

Contact: Tara Buboltz
Human Resources Manager
Telephone: 507-385-2632
E-mail: buboltz.tara@mayo.edu