Look Ahead
Make sure students have met the career prerequisites. Students interested in a health care career should take all the math and science possible. Follow this link to a very helpful Health Sciences Career Plan of Study that lists high school courses which help students prepare for a future in health care, and points them to post-secondary educational institutions that offer the training necessary to reach their career goals. However, there are many health care career options available to students who do not have strong math and science skills, so do not discourage those who believe they are not skilled in math or science.
Enroll Early
Begin the enrollment and application process for programs a full year BEFORE THEY PLAN TO BE ACCEPTED. Missing an enrollment or application deadline can mean considerable delay in and worry about reaching their career goals.
Think Work, Not Subject
Think about what kind of WORK they might be doing with their education—not just what subjects they like. A health care career can offer students a variety of possibilities.
Have Alternative Options Ready
Make sure students have other options in case coursework or abilities do not correlate with high entrance requirements.
Get Some Experience Before Making Career Decisions
Encourage students to get work experience that will expose them to the type of career they are considering. Possibilities include volunteer work, job shadowing, externship, summer or part-time work. There are also opportunities to view surgeries over live links between hospital operating rooms and classrooms, during which the surgeon describes the procedure and responds to questions from the class. Some hospitals also offer virtual Internet tours of each department. Students can determine from practical experience whether they like the work and the hospital environment. They may discover that they want to focus on a certain area of health care, or find that a different direction in health care is more appealing.
You can try out virtual job shadowing in health care online, right now! At the click of a mouse, check out careers in critical care nursing, health information management, trauma nursing, radiologic technology, or even walk in the shoes of the vice president for emergency services in a busy hospital!
Students Should Like
Working with people; activities of a scientific and technical nature; working with processes, machines, and techniques; and helping people.
Students Should Be Able To
Communicate well; work effectively with others; evaluate information based on personal judgment and/or measurable standards; perform a variety of duties that may change frequently; use logical, clear, step-by-step procedures in their work; and work with precise limits or standards of accuracy.
Possible Physical Abilities
Have good vision, either naturally or with correction; hear well, either
naturally or with correction; possess manual dexterity and use of fingers,
hands and arms; have good perception of depth and color; have the ability to
assist in lifting patients and/or equipment; and possess the ability to stand
for long periods of time.
Sources of Preparation
On-the-job training, technology centers, junior/community colleges, universities, graduate schools, and military training. In addition, encourage students to connect with the Oklahoma Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in your region of the state.
Know How to Find Financial Resources for School
There's a wealth of scholarship and funding sources for health care education, if you know where to look. The above link can get students started in the search. In addition, many hospitals provide financial aid for employees or potential employees in the form of internships, externships, apprenticeships, etc. Contact Oklahoma hospitals by following this link.
Oklahoma health care career opportunities
See what health care jobs are currently available in Oklahoma, go to: http://www.okhealthjobs.com
Be sure to check out OHA's line of health care products. Ranging from classroom or job fair "give-aways" to lively videos presenting a broad view of health care careers, these products will enhance any health care careers presentation. See descriptions below. For order form, click here. For more information, e-mail ann@okoha.com.
Middle/High School Products
Folders – “Choose Health Care”
Colorful folders on heavy, glossy cover stock can be “personalized”
to hold your organization’s information and business cards. Perfect for
career days, trade shows, conferences and meetings.
Stickers – “Don’t Just Be Different …
Be the Difference” – 4” round
Stickers are still the rage among students. These make great
“give-aways” with an important message about health care careers
that both save … and change … lives.
Pencils – No. 2, unsharpened
Bright purple jewel-tone pencils are a real stand-out in any classroom! Each is
imprinted with the Okhealthcareers.com Web site address that leads students to
helpful information about potential health care careers, training requirements,
schools that provide that training, Oklahoma hospitals that provide financial
and mentoring support for students, and much more!
Poster – “Don’t Just Be Different …
Be the Difference”
This eye-popping poster with personality gets instant attention in busy school
hallways, counselors’ offices, hospital waiting rooms, or your
teenager’s room. Emphasizes and promotes ethnic and gender diversity in
health care careers.
Sampler Box
A great value for conferences, career fairs, or as “give-away”
stock, each Sampler Box includes 100 folders, 100 pencils, 100 stickers
and five posters.
Six-minute video
Whet the imaginations of students or adults in bite-size, digestible chunks
with this six-minute overview of just a few of the career possibilities in
health care. Perfect for short presentations, career fairs, and more.
“Fast Forward to Your Future” Health Careers Video
Set
Students can “Fast-Forward to the Future” via this four-video set
describing 64 different health occupations. Real-life Health Care Heroes, in
brief interviews, talk about their careers and how/why they chose them.
Designed specifically for use with middle and/or high school students, this set
is easily broken down into individual tapes, or smaller segments to fit any
presentation or venue. Also available to loan for health career events. For
information, e-mail ann@okoha.com.
Speaker’s Kit
Standing for a health care careers presentation to middle or high school
students can be a daunting experience! Lessen the stress with the
“Speaker’s Kit.” Includes everything you need to give a
smooth, polished and stress-free presentation: Speaker instructions, script,
PowerPoint presentation on CD Rom, colorful transparencies, interactive quiz
and evaluation form. You can present like a pro … even your first time
out!
Adults/Children’s Products
“You Can Be a Health Care Hero” Coloring Book CD-ROM
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Health Care Hero! This
innovative compact disk features coloring book drawings and descriptions of
just a few of the exciting health care careers available. Coloring book can be
customized with your institution’s logo and information, printed in book
form or as individual pages. A great classroom resource or
hospital/doctor’s waiting room diversion that introduces health care
career opportunities including and beyond those of doctor and nurse.
Health Care Heroes Lapel Pin/Card
Honor your Health Care Heroes with this attractive red, blue and gold lapel pin
that will remind your employees, and the people they help, just how special
they are. Perfect for National Hospital Week, special recognitions, and more.
Shipped with inscribed presentation cards that read: "You Are A Health
Care Hero! Every day, you make a difference in the lives of others by giving of
your time and talents. Wear this pin, every day, and know how much you are
appreciated for being a Health Care Hero." Discounts available for
orders of 2000-plus. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Health Care Heroes Poster
Depicting current and future generations of health care workers, as well as
representing ethnic and gender diversity, this poster honors those who have
chosen to give themselves in service to others. A recruitment tool appropriate
for use with adults, youth or children.
Health Care Heroes Adult Recruitment Brochure
In a fluctuating economy, many adults find themselves in the position of
retooling for a second career. This concise and well-written brochure
convincingly presents the case for health care careers as an attractive option
for adults looking for a change.
Retention “Best Practices” Tool Kit
No human resources department should be without this resource! Featuring
employee retention “best practices” gleaned from some of Oklahoma’s
most outstanding health care institutions, this tool kit has a lot to say
to any industry looking to keep those workers that make a company successful.
TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, PARENTS!
Check out these helpful links:
http://www.nasfaa.org/Home.asp
– Financial
aid "how to" information.
http://www.cellsalive.com – Graphics and animations on topics such as the anatomy of a splinter, making antibodies, and more; includes ideas for projects.
http://www.health.gov – Portal to Web sites
of multi-agency health initiatives.
http://www.mwsearch.com – Medical intelligence at your fingertips.
http://www.medsite.com – Medical search engine.
http://www.nigms.nih.gov – Free educational materials in PDF of HTML format from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
http://science-education.nih.gov
– Free curriculum supplements from the National Institutes of Health
for all grade levels, link
to Snapshots of Science & Medicine online journal, teacher's science
fair project resource guide, and more.
http://www.health.nih.gov – Hundreds of
health publications, listed alphabetically. Some in Spanish.
http://www.hsc.missouri.edu – Collection of interdisciplinary case studies that demonstrate roles of health care team members, including suggestions for using the cases in the classroom.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/
visible_human.html – Overview and links to data from the Visible
Human Project, the creation of complete, three-dimensional representations
of the normal male and female human bodies.
http://www.bam.gov – "Body and Mind" health care site designed especially for kids by the Center for Disease Control.
http://www.bam.gov/teachers/index.htm – "Body and Mind" site "Teacher's Corner," Center for Disease Control.
http://www.aboutchildrenshealth.com/
humanbody.html – The Place for Kids, Parents and Teachers on Health
for Kids.