(Feb. 2, 2024) – What an exciting and fulfilling week we had hosting our second Kansas Health Care Virtual Career Day and launching our new www.HappyInHealthCare.org website. We had more than 3,000 students from more than 160 schools, ranging from middle schools to universities, joining us during the Kansas Health Care Virtual Career Day. KHA organized the event in partnership with the Kansas Department of Education and the Kansas Board of Regents. The primary goal of the Kansas Virtual Health Care Career Day is to give students a glimpse inside Kansas hospitals to learn more about the many career opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical, available in health care and engage them in real-world learning. This week's initiatives are even more timely as February is Career and Technical Education Month. So, this is a great way to kick off CTE Month in Kansas.
As you might anticipate, the success of the Kansas Health Care Virtual Career Day requires the coordinated involvement and participation of several individuals and organizations. I would personally like to thank each of the hospitals that collaborated with KHA to highlight several health care professions and provide a behind-the-scenes look for our attendees. The health care careers showcased included physical therapy, radiology technologists, business office, behavioral health, nursing, laboratory, emergency medical technician/paramedic and surgery. Throughout the event, Kansas high school students heard, first-hand, from Kansas health care professionals across the state who explained what training is required to perform their function and why they believe their career choice is rewarding. Thank you to the teams at Anderson County Hospital, Garnett; Citizens Health, Colby; HCA Midwest Health, Overland Park; Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital, Topeka; LMH Health, Lawrence; Logan County Health Services, Oakley; Memorial Health System, Abilene; and Phillips County Health System, Phillipsburg.
Another exciting activity occurring this week was the launch of KHA's updated www.HappyInHealthCare.org website. The new site allows interested individuals to view scholarships, schools and jobs available, as well as to explore resources on many health care careers. Each career will include information on needed education, minimum salaries, job opportunities and outlook, and much more. We also are very excited to launch a feature allowing interested students to take a brief quiz to narrow the health care careers matching their interest. Please check out all the great resources on the www.HappyInHealthCare.org website!
KHA will continue to explore new approaches to promote and support the hospital industry. If you weren't able to attend the Kansas Health Care Virtual Career Day, videos and resources will soon be available on the KHA website at www.HappyInHealthCare.org. Thank you again to all of the hospitals that participated in the virtual career day to help us promote the amazing opportunities in the health care field!
--Chad Austin