How Teachers Can Use Happy in Health Care
Many healthcare careers — including physical therapists, social workers, respiratory therapists, nurses, certified nursing assistants, medical imaging technologists and many more — are in high demand in Kansas. But if a student doesn't have family members who have worked in health care, they may not know where to start learning about available options.
Happy in Health Care makes it easy to find information about Kansas healthcare careers, schools and scholarships or loan programs to help students pay for school. The site offers robust resources for teachers, counselors, families and their students to find a fit, plus a quiz and a program to help students of different ages explore the field.
The Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) envisioned Happy in Health Care as a one-stop shop for information on the wide array of opportunities in the industry. Jaron Caffrey, KHA director of workforce and health care policy, said the site can help students or adults looking to switch careers identify their interests and map out a path to obtaining the education they need — including how to pay for necessary degrees or certifications.
“There truly has not been a better time to pursue health care training in Kansas and pay next to nothing out of pocket,” Caffrey said.
The site also helps users learn more about employers. The Job Search page connects users to the KS Health Job Board and provides links to Kansas hospitals’ career or employment pages.
“We wanted to make it easy to find out where students could potentially be hired following their training and graduation,” Caffrey said.
Tool for Teachers
A big reason for building Happy in Health Care was to offer a free, comprehensive resource for teachers and counselors.
“We know teachers have their hands full with a million things, and they don’t have time to become an expert in healthcare careers, pathways into an occupation, or all the scholarships to share with their students,” Caffrey said.
Teachers can share the site with students who have already expressed an interest in health care or can use it as part of a career exploration lesson plan. Students can take the six-question Career Quiz and view suggested careers based on their responses. Clicking on a suggested career leads to a description of the job and buttons to find a school, find a scholarship, and find a job. Average salary, education requirements, patient interaction level, and even blood interaction level (this is health care, after all!) are listed along with common job titles and more.
The Dietitian and Nutritionist page, for instance, explains the role dietitians play in both food service as well as nutrition programs to keep patients healthy. The average salary is $57,930 annually, the job requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and blood interaction is low. Students can also watch a video featuring a dietitian who explains her work. Five Kansas schools are a good fit, and eight scholarships options are available.
According to Caffrey, KHA has received positive feedback from educators who have had their students take the quiz then dive into suggested careers. High school teachers of upperclassmen have also used the site as a tool to identify scholarships. More resources are on the way, including additional videos showcasing a day in the life of different careers and new interactive map features to help students find opportunities close to home.
Additional Enrichment
Teachers looking for follow-up activities or enrichment have three great options.
1. Explore the Youth Patch Program for students ages 5-8 or 9-17. Simply download the list of patch activities and contact KHA to receive the free patches for students to earn by completing age-appropriate activities. Younger students must complete four activities from a list of eleven possibilities, including meeting a healthcare professional or learning proper handwashing technique. Older students choose six activities from a longer list of options such as earning first aid certification, researching a disease or condition, or volunteering four hours in a healthcare facility.
2. Contact a local hospital to invite a nurse, respiratory therapist, lab scientist, doctor or other healthcare professional to speak to students. Not sure where to start or need help? Contact Caffrey at [email protected].
3. Have students attend the Kansas Virtual Health Care Career Day slated for January 30, 2025. Registration will be open later this fall.
Non-Traditional Students
Happy in Health Care is largely geared toward students in middle or high school who are not sure what they might want to do or who are interested in health care and want to learn about school and scholarship options, but those aren’t the only people who can benefit from the information. Anyone looking for a new opportunity will find the site helpful.
You may know someone who hasn’t quite found their calling, or who needs a fresh start. Choose “Career Switchers” from the homepage, and start exploring! Even those already in health care can find information on how to advance their careers by pursuing additional certifications or degrees.
“Everything on the site is absolutely relevant for second careerists or non-traditional learners who may be looking for information on careers in health care,” Caffrey said.
