The Kansas Chamber, Kansas Hospital Association, and Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) on Wednesday held the 2023 Health Care Virtual Career Day to highlight opportunities in this vital industry, connect students with employers and help them learn what’s required to become a health care professional.
The free career fair event — open to students at all grade levels — gave attendees a virtual look into Kansas’ hospitals and the day-to-day life of health care professionals as well as video addresses from providers and Kansas business leaders.
“The healthcare industry is an important part of our state’s economy and the wellbeing of all Kansans,” said Kansas Chamber President & CEO Alan Cobb during the virtual event. “It directly employs about 208,000 employees and supports another 100,000+ jobs. At the Kansas Chamber, we have worked to eliminate barriers to allow healthcare professionals to practice to the full extent of their training and remove outdated rules and regulations to increase access to healthcare for all Kansans.”
During the event, health care professionals provided insights into several career fields:
- Medical Assistant
- Diagnostic Imaging (Radiology Technologist)
- RN, LPN, Nurse Assistant
- Nutrition Services (Registered Dietician and Dietary Aids)
- Laboratory Services (Medical Lab Tech, Medical Technologist, Phlebotomists & Lab Assistants)
- Environmental Services (IT, Maintenance, & Housekeeping)
- Respiratory Therapy
- Sterile Processing Technician & Surgical Tech
Kansas Health Foundation President & CEO Ed O’Malley shared with attendees about Kansas’ demand for more health care professionals.
“We need people in Kansas to care about the health professions, to want to go into fields like medicine and pharmacy, to take care of this population,” O’Malley said. “Kansas used to be one of the healthiest states in the nation. We were consistently ranked in the top 10. That’s fallen off the last 30 or 40 years. At the Kansas Health Foundation, we are determined to reverse that — to take us back to being a leading state when it comes to health. We can’t do that without students and their peers caring more about the health of this state.”
Universities, tech colleges, and leaders in Kansas education joined the event to raise awareness among students, educators, and career counselors about opportunities in Kansas’ health care industry.
“We want students to ‘try on’ careers before they graduate high school to find the one that sparks their passion. Then we can help them begin to build their path forward,” said KSDE Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson. “The Kansas Health Care Career Fair is a great example of how this can be accomplished when industries and schools partner for students. We are proud to help host this important event.”
Ashley Walker, who works as a medical assistant in an OB/GYN office, addressed students at the career fair to share the advice she would give to those considering a similar career path: “I would tell them to go for it because it’s a really rewarding job,” Walker said. “You can work in so many different clinic settings. It’s very rewarding to see patients over and over and connect with them.”
More than 2,000 students, educators, and health care professionals took part in the career day.
