The third-grader at Omaha’s Lothrop Elementary School has big dreams. “My biggest dream is to be a basketball player,” Meeky Johnson said. But he’s learning more about other options if the NBA doesn’t work out. That’s the goal of Healthcare Heroes, a program for third- through sixth-graders launched this fall by the Nebraska Hospital Association. “I had no idea there were so many different types of doctors in the world,” Johnson said when asked what he learned in college. It is a weekly after-school program at Lothrop Elementary School. The program is currently offered during and after school in 30 Nebraska schools, with more than 3,000 students participating, said Stacey Okander, who created the curriculum for the Nebraska Hospital Association. She said it’s about “expanding” children’s understanding of who they will one day become. She said there are more medical jobs than being a doctor or nurse. The program began in earnest this fall after a trial run in the spring. The program is currently being offered during and after school in 30 Nebraska schools, with more than 3,000 Nebraska children participating, according to Okander. The program doesn’t have to be affiliated with a school, Okander said. The Nebraska Hospital Association, for example, would love to hear from the library program, Okander said, and it’s all free. Medica, the Nebraska Hospital Association, the Nebraska Healthcare Foundation and the Nebraska Medical Association all funded the effort, she said. Area hospitals say they are happy to see the program take off. “At this time, we have sufficient staff to meet our care needs,” said Michael Ash, chief operating officer and president of Nebraska Medicine. “But as we look to the future, projections show there could be a 30% decline in the number of people entering the medical profession.”Additionally, the country’s population is aging, which means more patients he said it means. And, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, many people working in the medical field are nearing retirement. In another 10 years, more than two out of five practicing physicians will be over 65 years old. According to the AAMC report, one in five people already do so. “We really need to get out in front of this problem,” Ashe said. “As we move further down the road, these shortages could become very real and very concerning.” But with programs like Healthcare Heroes and medical advances, it’s not all doom and gloom. No, he said. “New treatments and treatments are coming to market, and new technologies are emerging that will increase nurses’ spending time at the bedside,” Ash added. “It’s a great time to be in medicine.”
Omaha, Nebraska —
The third-grader at Omaha’s Lothrop Elementary School has big dreams.
“My biggest dream is to be a basketball player,” Meeky Johnson said.
But he’s learning more about other options if the NBA doesn’t work out.
That’s the goal of Healthcare Heroes, a program for third- through sixth-graders launched this fall by the Nebraska Hospital Association.
When asked what he learned in class, Johnson replied, “I had no idea there were so many different types of doctors in the world.”
Lothrop Elementary School has a weekly after-school program.
The program is currently offered during and after school in 30 Nebraska schools, with more than 3,000 students participating, said Stacey Okander, who created the curriculum for the Nebraska Hospital Association.
She said it’s about “expanding” children’s understanding of who they will one day become. She says there are more medical jobs than being a doctor or nurse.
The program began in earnest this fall after a pilot run in the spring.
The program is currently being offered during and after school in 30 Nebraska schools, and more than 3,000 Nebraska children have participated, according to Aucandor.
The program doesn’t have to be affiliated with a school, Okander said. For example, the Nebraska Hospital Association would love to hear from library programs, she said.
Everything is free, Okander said. Medica, the Nebraska Hospital Association, the Nebraska Healthcare Foundation and the Nebraska Medical Association all helped fund the effort, she said.
Area hospitals are happy to see this program take off.
“At this time, we have sufficient staff to meet our care needs,” said Michael Ash, chief operating officer and president of Nebraska Medicine. “But when we look to the future, projections show there could be a 30% decline in the number of people entering health care jobs.”
Additionally, the country’s population is aging, which means more patients, he said.
And, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, many people working in the medical field are nearing retirement.
In another 10 years, more than two out of five practicing physicians will be over 65 years old. According to the AAMC report, one in five people already do so.
“We really need to get out in front of this problem,” Ashe said. “Moving further into the future, these shortages could become very real and very concerning.”
But with programs like Healthcare Heroes and medical advances, he said it’s not all doom and gloom.
“New treatments and therapies are coming to market, as well as new technologies that allow nurses to spend more time at the bedside,” Ash added. “It’s a great time to be in medicine.”
