What if the key to addressing healthcare’s talent shortage came down to investing in youth who could make a difference in our industry? It’s a concept put into motion by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Bloomberg is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in programs for future healthcare workers, including an innovative initiative to build “healthcare high schools” in 10 cities across the country. These schools combine classroom learning — taught in part by health system employees — with hands-on experience and the opportunity to earn industry certifications and college credit.
Schools in four cities — Boston, Charlotte, Dallas and Houston — opened this year, with the rest set to open in 2026. Graduates can choose to work with a partner health system straight after graduation or continue their education part-time or full-time, with tuition subsidized by hospital partners.
This past September, during HFMA’s Thought Leadership Conference, I had the opportunity to lead a discussion with Kate Herman, the program officer for the Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative, on the future of the healthcare workforce. I walked away from that conversation more optimistic about how to build healthcare’s talent pipeline than when I walked in.
Albert Einstein famously said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” We need to open our eyes and our mind to new ways of doing things. We need to innovate to remain relevant and sustain our success — to be the disruptors rather than the disrupted. That means focusing always forward. (Sempre Avanti!) It also means asking tough questions about long-held beliefs and approaches, including around healthcare operations.
For instance, when it comes to closing healthcare workforce gaps, one might argue that we’re thinking about this challenge in the wrong way. When I posted on LinkedIn about the healthcare high school concept, I heard from a friend who had pursued another career before ultimately becoming a radiology tech. “If this type of school had existed back then, they might have become a radiology tech a lot sooner,” they said. The combination of hands-on experience and an opportunity to test a professional interest appealed to them.
Flexibility in work and training models might also attract young professionals into careers, such as radiology, respiratory therapy and more, offering a path to sustainable support for hospitals and a better income for families who need an economic boost.
Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that physicians are experiencing healthcare fatigue and that there is a generational divide around what’s expected and what’s reasonable for physicians in terms of work-life balance.a
There are no easy answers, and there’s a continued need for innovation, flexibility and empathy at every level. I’m proud HFMA brings leaders together to imagine what’s possible and what’s right for our teams, our patients and the industry’s future.
Footnote
a. Chen, T., “Young doctors want work-life balance. Older doctors say that’s not the job,” Wall Street Journal, Nov. 3, 2024.
