As students from five CFES schools donned hospital scrubs, poked needles into mannequin arms and marveled over imagery of bones and organs, a central message emerged at a medical career fair at Boquet Valley Central School: There is no shortage in opportunities for students considering a career in health care.
“The opportunities are only going to grow,” said Ron Rix, Project Director for CFES GEAR UP. “Looking at the data, healthcare is one of the biggest growth industries.”
CV-TEC joined CFES and the University of Vermont health care system to welcome 50 students from Crown Point, Moriah, Willsboro, Ticonderoga and Boquet Valley on Oct. 8 and showed that healthcare has a lot to offer, from entry-level positions open to trade-school grads, to doctors and registered nurses earning advanced degrees.
CFES GEAR UP Fellows Stephen Bedard and Neely Fortune assisted educators with hands-on demonstrations, and advised students on available career paths. Healthcare employs 1.3 million workers in New York State and has surged 6.4% from pre-pandemic levels, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy.
CV-TEC bridges that gap between school and work, introducing students to professional healthcare settings.
Demand is high, and after leaving school they can find work, including as a certified nursing assistant, EKG technician or phlebotomist. Community colleges can train students looking to go further in fields such as Licensed Practical Nursing.
CV-TEC also offers a program called New Visions: Medical Careers Program, which is an academically rigorous one-year exploratory course for selected college-bound seniors planning to major in a field of study such as pre-med, chemistry, biology or other allied health fields.
Those who go into healthcare can find work most anywhere, and it is a good opportunity for young people who want to be able to find work in the communities where they have grown up, said Kelly Gowett, health services coordinator for CV-TEC.
There are rapidly growing areas such as home healthcare, and adjacent fields including speech, administration and physical therapy. “We can truly help these kids find opportunities and keep them here” if they want to stay near home, Gowett said.