This is an free event for Washington high school students & young adults ages 16-24 exploring careers in healthcare. Participation from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), low-income & first-generation learners are encouraged!

Be prepared to:

• Discover new career opportunities from bedside care to mental health and beyond.
• Expand your healthcare knowledge on various career pathways.
• Engage with diverse healthcare professionals, educators, and students. Ask questions and get answers.
• Stay positive and get involved! Bring your unique experience and perspective.

Visit the Healthcare Industry Leadership Table to learn more!

The 2023 Sound Careers in Healthcare (SCIH) was a two-day hybrid event for 9-12th graders in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, with particular emphasis on BIPOC, first-generation, and/or low-income students.

The event included hands-on and interactive sessions, offered in collaboration with over 40 healthcare employers, secondary and post-secondary educators, and a number of community based organizations.

Day 1: The University of Washington’s Health Professions Recruitment Collaborative (e.g. Doctors for a Day) and HILT hosted a hands-on healthcare career exploration fair at the UW Husky Union Building.

Day 2: Kaiser Permanente and HILT hosted an interactive livestream at the Kaiser Permanente Bellevue campus.

The planning team ensured that design and implementation of programming was considered through an anti-racist lens. Invited high schools were informed by OSPI data on student demographics, an EDI workshop kicked off the planning retreat, educators advised the planning team on student needs & realities, and volunteers accessed an EDI training module around best communication practices with students.

Impact

The 2023 Sound Careers in Healthcare event attracted a diverse body of high school students to explore a healthcare career.

The healthcare community was eager to return to an in-person format, educators were motivated to provide their students with healthcare career exploration opportunities, and students were excited to connect their didactic learning to real-world experiences. In addition, the planning team’s strategic choices laid the groundwork for high engagement. The top 3 impactful decisions were 1) choosing to host the event during the school day (i.e. field trip), 2) selecting a two-day hybrid model instead of a five-day all virtual model, and 3) prioritizing an event model that centered interactive experiences.  

2023 Event Data

While SCIH 2023 engaged many students, the demand for healthcare career exploration will continue to grow. Indeed, venue capacity prevented many schools from participating during the in-person day. This growing demand is positive news for the healthcare industry that wishes to attract more talent, but also poses the question on whether sufficient event planning capacity can be built out. Sustaining and/or expanding the two-day hybrid model will require additional project management capacity.

As capacity conversations proceed, post-event feedback indicates that the event was a positive experience overall. To elaborate, students appreciated the kindness and helpfulness of professionals, the interactive activities, and the variety of careers showcased on both days. Volunteers enjoyed interacting with students who were excited and curious about healthcare. Meanwhile, much of the constructive feedback revolved around the venue being too small (i.e. too crowded), the duration of the student rotations and livestream components being too long (i.e. panel discussions being too long), and other logistical details around student access (e.g. bus parking and livestream Kahoot access). Post-event raw feedback can be accessed below.  

Drawing upon the best practices and lessons learned from the 2023 event, future event planners will have the foundation necessary to continue advancing equity and access in healthcare career exploration.