Health care needs a diverse workforce

In California, about 35% of the population is Latino, but only 6.3% of California nurses are Latino and less than 4% of physicians are Latino. The Latino population in California is estimated to increase from about 32% in 2000 to 44% in 2025, making it increasingly important that more Latinos go into health professions.

According to the Latino Coalition for a Health California Factsheet it is critical that more Latinos become health professionals in order to have racial and ethnic diversity in the workforce and provide culturally competent health care to all people.

The California Endowment also recognizes the need for diversity in the workforce in order to provide Culturally Competent Health System. Diversity in healthcare professionals has been associated with increased patient trust and patient compliance to treatments. Studies also show that minority healthcare professionals are more likely to provide care to minority and low-income patient. With funding from The California Endowment, the San Diego Science Alliance (SDSA) documented the needs, resources and untapped potential of health/medical academies in San Diego County in 2007.

In addition to a list of resources, below are questions that parents commonly ask regarding health careers. Click a question to see a reply:

• What is a Health Career Academy?
  
  
• What are the benefits of an academy?
  
  
• Why choose a health career?
  
  
• What health careers are available?
  
  
• What can I do to help my child in school?
  
  
• How can I get involved in my child's education?
  
  

What is a Health Career Academy?

Health Career Academies focus on preparing students for careers in Health Care. Health Career Academies and pathway programs provide a broad based academic curriculum centered on health career preparation and tie courses to real-life health practice. The following parameters are used for describing a Career Academy*.

• A small learning community, comprised of a group of students within the larger high school, who take classes together for at least two years, and are taught by a team of teachers from different disciplines
• A college preparatory curriculum with a career theme, enabling students to see relationships among academic subjects, and their application to a broad field of work
• Partnerships with employers, the community, and local colleges, who bring resources from outside the high school to improve student motivation and achievement

*According to the National Career Academy Coalition

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What are the benefits of an academy?

There have been many studies done about the positive impact of California Partnership Academies.  The Career Academy Support Network, Connect Ed, The National Career Academy Coalition and MDRC all have a variety of research and data to support their findings. Below are three of the findings reported in a two reports.

• Earn More Money Post-Graduation

The Career Academies produced sustained earnings gains that averaged 11 percent (or $2,088) more per year for Academy group members than for individuals in the non-Academy group — a $16,704 boost in total earnings over the eight years of follow-up (in 2006 dollars).1

• Have a Higher High School Graduation Rate

Ninety-six percent of academy seniors graduated at the end of the 2004-05 year, compared with a statewide figure of 87%. 2

• More Prepared to Enter Post-Secondary Education

California Partnership Academies (CPAs) reported that half of their seniors (4,655 students) fulfilled the UC/CSU A-G subject requirements [The sequence of 15 courses required for University of California/California State University admissions] compared to 35% of high school graduates statewide.3

 

1. MDRC Report - Career Academies Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood (Career Academies.pdf)
2. A Profile of the California Partnership Academies 2004-2005 (March 2007 – Connect Ed) CA_Partnership_Academies - As the data available for this study included only information for the current year, reviewers computed the number of graduates divided by the number of seniors enrolled. In this case, 9,190 CPA seniors enrolled at 273 schools were compared to 409,560 enrolled seniors across the state. (CA_Partnership_Academies)
3. A Profile of the California Partnership Academies 2004-2005 (March 2007 – Connect Ed, Page 21, Figure 18 –Seniors Reported to Meet A-G Requirements) (CA_Partnership_Academies)

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Why choose a health career?

San Diego county needs health care workers!

Health careers are among the fastest growing professions in the United States, with 7 of the 20 fastest growing occupations being health care related. The United States Department of Labor projects that health care will generate 3 million new jobs by 2016.  Health care careers also pay well, anywhere from $15 to $50 per hour for many health professions.

Studies by the San Diego Workforce Partnership found there are shortages of health care workers in San Diego county in almost every healthcare profession. Two studies have been conducted and their findings published in the following reports: Healthcare Jobs: A Healthy Career Choice and San Diego Health Care Sector A Prescription for Strength. Below is a chart from the San Diego Workforce Partnership study listing the heathcare occupations with the greatest projected employment in San Diego in 2014.

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What health careers are available?

Hundreds of health careers are available, not just doctors and nurses. The following chart offers websites that serve as health care professional career search resources. You can also download the 100 Health Career document for a complete listing of available careers.

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What can I do to help my child in school?

Get involved! Children do better in school when their parents are involved. Actively organizing and monitoring a child's time, helping with homework and discussing school matters are all shown to help increase student achievement.

• The Mapping Your Future - Parents section provides information regarding saving for education, paying for college, and how to help your child prepare academically.
• The Toolkit for Hispanic Families has information specific to Hispanic parents on how they can help their children in school.
• The National Education Association's Promising Practices -Parent Resources provide two-page guides in English and Spanish containing practical information that parents can use.

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How can I get involved in my child's education?

There are several things you can do to be involved in your child's education. Some suggestions include:

• Reading to your child
• Checking homework every night
• Discussing your children's progress with teachers
• Voting in school board elections
• Helping your school to set challenging academic standards
• Limiting TV viewing on school nights
• Becoming an advocate for better education in your community and state.
• Asking your children every day, "How was school today?"
• Encourage your child to do math and science homework and take four years of math and science and language courses in high school.
• Encourage your child to take Advanced Placement courses.
• Get involved in helping your child's school improve
• And, be consistent with any activity you choose

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