Former AHN security guard Robert Brown pursues nursing dream with mentor, Melanie Hutcherson, nurse manager at West Penn School of Nursing through the TAP initiative.
Allegheny Health Network has launched a variety of initiatives designed to build the next generation of health care professionals.
The moves are especially critical in Pennsylvania as many health care professionals are reaching retirement age just as the need for health care is rapidly growing.
AHN’s pilot program provides hands-on opportunities to middle and high school students, especially those from disadvantaged communities, through its Simulation, Teaching, and Academic Research Center.
The STAR Center trains and educates students, health care practitioners and allied health professionals with state-of-the-art simulations to develop and refine technical and people skills critical to health care.
Funded by a donation from community members, the program helps address disparities in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine education. The program’s STEMM focus also introduces students to health care careers, helping to build a more-diverse workforce of health care professionals.
AHN’s approach to building the health care workforce includes:
- Expanding its Talent Attraction Program, a unique work-study program that recruits and supports students from underrepresented communities as they train for health care careers
- Operating mentorship and surgery-observation programs for students interested in medicine
- Partnering with Community College of Allegheny County on a program that allows students to get clinical experience and receive sign-on bonuses for working at AHN