As the demand for healthcare professionals grows, hospitals and health systems are finding innovative ways to fill staffing gaps and train the next generation of HCPs.
Erie County Medical Center in Western New York reimagined how to engage future HCPs by creating the Healthcare Explorers program, an immersive summer internship experience for 10th, 11th and 12th graders.
Healthcare Explorers provides students the unique opportunity to get hands-on experience across ECMC’s health campus in multiple specialties and disciplines. Exposing students to 12 exploration stops, the program creates a broader understanding of what it takes to provide healthcare to their community.
Whether it's filling medications in the pharmacy, doing surgery on a melon or visiting the morgue, students experience the full spectrum of care and the career opportunities available to them. This resume-enhancing experience also provides invaluable networking opportunities with medical professionals and the ability to connect with other area students.
Over the last two years, ECMC’s Healthcare Explorers program has supported over 240 students’ healthcare aspirations from more than 50 different schools across the region — and they’re just getting started.
Learn more about the Healthcare Explorers program here or contact Program Directors Emily Beauchamp and Erin Conley at healthcareexplorers@ecmc.edu or 716.898.4505.