Emerging Technology is essential in the healthcare industry, as it helps with diagnostics, research, disease prevention, and overall patient care. 

With a steady rise in digital advances such as computer software, apps, and hands-free devices, many job opportunities in the healthcare industry are still left available due to increasing demand of people with STEM-related degrees. Furthermore, many times the people in these professions are not representative of the demographics of the neighborhoods where healthcare facilities are located. Point blank, we need a more diverse workforce in healthcare technology. 

This is why Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH) started on a mission in 2017 aiming to spark youth interest in STEM and Healthcare careers and now NextWaveSTEM® is proud to be a partner in this outstanding cause. 

REACH Programs

Elementary School 

It is never too early for any child to start learning the trades of the future. That’s why REACH + NextWaveSTEM® are proud to be partners for a cause that assists in paving pathways for a new generation of doctors, scientists, and engineers.

REACH hosts and engages in various professional development activities, primarily in connection to the Early Childhood Enrichment and Primary Grades Enrichment Programs and NextWaveSTEM® supplies schools with the necessary equipment, curricula, and educators to help in insuring that schools are preparing their students in the most impactful way possible towards a career in STEM.

The professional development activities are developed around topics identified as a high need by educators and schools. This includes one-on-one curriculum development and support, workshops, and learning series that allow teachers from REACH, NextWaveSTEM® and the schools they are partnered with to collaborate.

STEM education looks different for elementary students than it does for college, high school, or even middle school students. While elementary students might work on simple engineering design projects or learn to code, the main goal is not to prepare them to become professional engineers, although more students may become interested in those careers as a result.

You can learn more about the Elementary School Program Here. 

Middle School 

Middle school students taking the necessary STEM courses provided by NextWaveSTEM® and participating in REACH experiences that focus on developing their learning skills as they get ready for high school allow students to work collaboratively to solve real-world challenges in the healthcare field — using robotics to design a solution for medical triage in a disaster, or brainstorming an approach for fighting a disease epidemic.

Middle school can be a tumultuous time for students when social priorities outweigh academic ones. Unfortunately, students who grow negative opinions of math and science often retain those biases – permanently. 

Programs in middle school that help “connect the dots” between STEM and real life make STEM education feel relevant for teens, keeping them engaged and interested.

Learn more about our STEM programs for Professional Development

Vitals

Vitals for STEM Success exposes students to different career paths in the field of healthcare, helping them understand the different paths available and what it takes to get started. NextWaveSTEM®, along with their partners at REACH, provide students with the necessary tutelage that comes about with experiences related to specific STEM-related subjects.

Future Ready Learning Lab

The Future Ready Learning Lab provides targeted lessons to support science enrichment, career exploration, social-emotional learning, and planning for high school and college. A combination of classroom instruction, field trips, career panels, research projects, and extracurricular activities creates an immersive experience. 

It consists of a 10-week program where students are able to learn in-depth knowledge about the body systems. 

The agenda includes following written and oral directions for students can learn and have a better approaching to the real healthcare world.  

High School 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2030, the total number of STEM jobs will grow by almost 11 percent — increasing about 30 percent faster than jobs in the overall workforce. Healthcare jobs, which usually require solid STEM education, will grow 16 percent.

As a result, many STEM employers are collaborating with K–12 schools nationwide to help lay the foundation for a savvy workforce, and schools are responding by reimagining STEM education spaces to resemble real-world work environments.

Bridges to Mentoring

Bridge to Nursing: The Bridge to Nursing Program is for high school students interested in a career in nursing. Mentoring, career exploration and academic supports will be made available to student participants. Gain the opportunity to learn about nursing careers from current nursing students and practicing nurses! 

Bridge to Medicine: The Bridge to Medicine Program is for high school students interested in a career in medicine. Mentoring, career exploration and academic supports will be made available to student participants. Gain the opportunity to learn about medical careers from current medical students and practicing doctors!

Learn more about the High School Programs

College & Beyond

“What distinguishes medicine from other fields of service is the commitment to see people through recovery. I have seen qualities in nurses, doctors and therapists that I can see in myself. I visualize myself working as a doctor because it fits with my calling directly serving people.”

Eugene U. – Future Physician

For career-minded students, few fields offer better job prospects than science, technology, engineering, and math.

Due to the unique, specialized, and highly targeted offering, STEM is experiencing a rapid growth phase, and recruiting heavily across the world. 

The economic opportunity in STEM and healthcare is clear, but beyond the numbers, students have the opportunity to pursue the kinds of careers that can truly create an impact in their communities, and across the world. Jobs range from medical assistants, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, and registered nurses, to family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, and more.

As REACH participants begin to home in on postsecondary programs and careers, REACH programs and mentors continue to offer support in further developing their workplace skills, choosing a college, earning certifications, and applying for jobs. And with NextWaveSTEM® as partners, that focus on educating students with a comprehensive and effective curriculum assures that those students will be more likely to secure a job in a STEM field in relation to healthcare.

Learn more about the College Programs 

Driving Equity In Healthcare Careers Through Partnership

With so many opportunities available to students in the U.S., we must ask: “Is this opportunity distributed equitably among our students?” The data says no. According to the U.S. Department of Education and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, in 2019 there were a total of 16,344 healthcare degrees or certificates awarded in Washington, but of those degrees Hispanic and Black students only received 2,951 of those credentials, compared to the 8,885 credentials earned by their white counterparts. Now education and healthcare systems are acting correspondingly so that students of color, rural students, and students from low-income backgrounds can access the jobs we’ve been highlighting. This is why institutions like REACH and NextWaveSTEM® have created synergies where more opportunities can be created for students of color working on advanced medical degrees to access leadership positions in the healthcare space.

Why is STEM Education so important in the Healthcare Industry?

Now more than ever before, the importance of STEM workers is clear. Without them, the United States and the world would not be able to navigate the COVID-19 crisis.  

It is because of healthcare professionals that people around the world are able to live with less disease and illness than ever before. Yet, in order to continue this upward trend and keep a high quality of life for generations of the future, technology is needed to support advancements in healthcare.

Alongside this increase in tech jobs needed, many of the current medical professionals are over the age of 55. This means that, in the near future, the medical field will be in the hands of today’s youth. 

Even if students are not directly going to enter into a healthcare profession, quality education can still help to keep the United States healthier. The University of Colorado Denver conducted a study, The Economic Value of Education for Longer Lives and Reduced Disability, that found a correlation between education levels and life span and health of a person. 

They found links between life longevity and overall education level. People who graduated from high school lived longer than people who did not. 

“We weren’t surprised that the economic value of longer lives would top lifetime earnings, but we couldn’t have guessed the magnitude,” said Virginia Chang, MD, PhD, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at NYU College of Global Public Health. “One additional year of life is a significant change in life expectancy and has a lot of economic value. When you consider the cost of completing high school or college is significantly less than what we spend on healthcare, it’s clear that spending on education is going to have a much greater return.”

NextWaveSTEM® + REACH

We are proud to be partnering with REACH in providing programming for entrepreneurship and innovation courses, and soon to be integrating drones into the REACH curriculum. We’ve taken our standards-aligned STEM curriculum and worked with the REACH team to make it healthcare-related and supplement the already incredible programming.

Students have completed activities such as exploring the heart rate, health sciences technology, robotics, vitals, genetic coding, health sciences careers, and more.  

Students are able participate in sessions and activities committed to teaching the most important aspects of STEM in a productive and impactful way.

REACH is now planning on moving forward with a two-day Career Exploration event in Fall 2022 that will aim to keep sparking families' and students' interest in the healthcare world. 

If you like to learn about coming STEM + Healthcare coming events visit REACH here.

Join us

If you are feeling curious about how NextWaveSTEM® + REACH are working together to provide students with the best resources to succeed in the STEM/healthcare industry, we invite you to follow our journey on social media and join us in our mission!