For several years Mineral County high school students have been able to spend a day at Mineral Community Hospital to explore careers in health care. Working with the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and Research and Explore Awesome Careers in Healthcare, or REACH, students can explore a number of careers. Including lab work; X-rays; CT or computed tomography scanning; dentistry; public health; nursing; and emergency medical training.

Martha Robertson, program coordinator for AHEC, put together the event at the hospital, where 34 students broke into small groups and participated in a number of activities related to each field. They work with professionals who help to explain their jobs and answer student’s questions. Activities included a scavenger hunt in the ambulance facility led by Anita Parkin where students learned about equipment and where it was stored. They examined old X-rays shown by Chris Watson and identified knives and nails protruding from various body parts. Sara Buchanan led a murder mystery where students identified blood types, and Amber Ishler Peterson from Frenchtown Dental showed different orthodontic equipment and students made plaster of paris thumbs. Nurses also showed student CPR training with the latest technology available.

THERE CONTINUES to be a growing demand for workers in the health-care industry, with approximately 1,300 job vacancies every year in Montana. “We’re trying to get rural students interested in choosing healthcare as a career,” said Robertson.

For example, the field of nursing is booming, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. They predict the demand for nurses to soar by 26 percent by the year 2020. Currently, Montana ranks 28 in the nation for nursing salaries, which average $31.87 per hour or $66,280 annually, according to an Occupational Employment Statistics 2017 report. In the report, California ranked first with an average salary of $102,700 annually or $49.37 per hour. According to that same report, there were 10,110 registered nurses in Montana.

Montana also has one of the oldest populations in the nation and elderly people use a disproportionately larger share of healthcare. This is coupled with new technology and medical advances which helps people live longer lives.

“This allows all of us to use more health-care services than past generations,” reported economist William Connell in an article, “Healthcare Labor Shortages and Potential Solutions. “Also, older populations demands different services than other demographics. More primary care physicians are needed to diagnose the elderly and chronically ill, with an increased demand for nurses and home health-care workers that typically carry out day-to-day treatment of older and chronically ill patients.”

PART OF the challenge is recruiting students into the field of healthcare, but the other side of the challenge is to find qualified educators. Like other nursing programs, instructors at Missoula College must have a nursing background, and many have specialized training and a master’s degree. But the compensation doesn’t match that earned in the field.

This has forced the industry to look at alternative training programs.There are two and four year degrees and certifications available through Montana higher learning schools. There are also a number of others programs available to potential students. Including job shadowing, and high school internships. Recently, Ronan and Deer Lodge schools started pilot programs for interns. However, the challenge to these programs goes back to finding qualified instructors and other resources needed to run them Robertson explained.