The dramatic shortage of health care workers across the island chain is no secret.
“We need more than 5,000 of our students going into health careers in order to meet the need in Hawaii,” explains Dr. Kelley Withy, professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).
Enter the Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center’s annual Teen Health Camp.
Giving students hands-on experience
Established in 2010, the camp is a day-long opportunity for Hawaii high school students to get an up-close look at a wide range of health care industry careers. Powered by volunteer JABSOM medical school students, high schoolers across the state gain valuable hands-on experience, ranging from suturing to putting on a cast to lab tech training.
“There are over 100 health careers,” Withy says. “Health careers aren’t easy. But they’re fun and rewarding.”
Looking toward the future
This invaluable experience was offered to high schoolers on Molokai (Feb. 8), Lanai (Feb. 18), and will continue on Maui (March 1), Kauai (April 5), and the Big Island (April 27), free of charge. HMSA is a proud sponsor of Teen Health Camp as it recognizes the importance of investing in the future of health care in Hawaii.
“There’s a huge brain drain,” says Jay Fujimoto, vice president of Provider Network Relations at HMSA. “A lot of our best and brightest kids, wanting to enter the profession, leave for the mainland because of the lower cost of living and the perceived abundance of opportunities. HMSA, with our brand and connectivity to the market, has an obligation to support programs like this.”
For students like J.P. Jessy, a senior at Waianae High School, Teen Health Camp offers a chance to explore his passion to help others. “I want to become a surgical nurse or a nurse who works in the [operating room],” Jessy says. “Growing up, my grandpa was always in the hospital, and I saw a lot of what the nurses do. They really intrigued me to want a career in this field.”
Withy’s vision for the campers extends beyond just introducing them to health care. “We want them to know early that they can do this,” she says. “They can get loan repayment. They can get scholarships. They can go to school, but they don’t even have to. They can go into health careers right out of high school. It’s a great place to start because it’s a growing industry, and we’ll never stop needing them.”
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