AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the Austin metro continues to grow, so does the need for more healthcare workers. Workforce Solutions Capital Area expects the industry to grow by a little more than 4,000 workers every year.
With thousands of jobs still currently open, the nonprofit is working to fill that shortage through a new generation of workers.
On Tuesday, Workforce Solutions Capital Area hosted a nursing academy for high school juniors and seniors in Central Texas at South University’s Austin campus.
The academy included students from:
- Austin ISD
- Bastrop ISD
- Del Valle ISD
- Manor ISD
- Leander ISD
- Lockhart ISD
- Pflugerville ISD
- Round Rock ISD
The nonprofit hosts these academies twice a year. It allows students to explore nursing career paths through hands-on learning. It’s part of the organization’s Central Texas Healthcare Partnership.
“Our three major hospitals, all of our education partners and then Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area come together to do workforce development for healthcare,” said Director of Healthcare Partnerships Ashley King.
Through this initiative, King said they’ve doubled the number of nursing graduates in the area over the last five years.
“We tell them what they can do while they’re in high school to better their chances of being admitted into a nursing program,” King said. “We talk a lot about scholarship opportunities as well.”
In Austin alone, Workforce Solutions Capital Area counted about 15,000 current open healthcare positions.
“The shortage has been there for a long time, and it’s only getting worse,” said South University Austin Professor Dustin Eshelman. “To replenish that, you’ve seen more and more nursing schools popping up. You see more and more nursing schools helping students become nurses.”
Some students KXAN spoke with said they’re interested in nursing because of family members in the healthcare industry.
“My brother, he’s a licensed physical therapist,” said Bastrop ISD Senior Alan Zavala. “So really, following in his footsteps. He seemed to have a lot of fun pursuing the medical field.”
They said this was a great opportunity to get a better understanding of what it means to be in this field.
“Imagine myself in their shoes, to see if that’s something I think I would handle and something I would do good in,” said Leander ISD Junior Isabella Fajardo.
Leander ISD Junior Adriana Browne said this academy further solidified her plans to pursue a career in nursing.
“Seeing this right now, all the people here right now, proves how many kids or people my age are trying to become what they’ve always dreamed of,” Browne said.
