Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Filling the healthcare gap

Photos and story by James Hill

By Jesus "Jess’ CarreonPresident, Portland Community CollegeCommunity colleges will play a key role preparing healthcare workers for the 21st century.During the past year, I have emphasized in newspaper articles and presentations and in this newsletter, the dramatic demographic changes in the United States over the last 10 to 15 years. We surely have witnessed the changing face of our population in Oregon. In like manner, demographics within the workforce will continue to change as hundreds of thousands of "baby boomers"retire or shift into post-career activities. In every occupation across the country, we are experiencing shortages of workers, but none is more critical than in the healthcare industry. The shortage of healthcare workers becomes especially critical with a population that is growing and aging rapidly. We as educators and our healthcare employers must deal with the obvious question, "How do we meet this increased demand at a time of increased retirements??Community colleges will play a key role preparing healthcare workers for the 21st century. This issue is so important that the American Association of Community Colleges has established a national initiative to focus resources and effort toward graduating more associate degree nursing students who then become licensed as registered nurses. Nationally, more than 1,200 community and technical colleges work closely with their communities to meet their changing needs. A vast majority of these colleges have healthcare programs as part of their day-to-day operations, with nursing the predominant course of study. At Portland Community College we are proud to continue to serve our community through a variety of healthcare education programs, including nursing, radiography, sonography, dental hygiene, dental assisting, dental technology, medical laboratory technology, medical assisting and veterinary technology. Moreover, the Institute for Healthcare Professionals offers a myriad of ongoing opportunities for professionals to participate in professional development activities. As our population gets older, the changing variety of medical needs and public health needs is of importance to Portland Community College and will continue to be an important priority for this institution.We are energized by the continuing opportunity PCC has to collaborate with our local hospitals and healthcare providers in identifying clinical sites and innovative ways for our students to participate in this important industry. In addition, community colleges and the four-year public and private schools in this state, and throughout the country, continue to work to improve how we move our two-year associate degree graduates who become registered nurses to baccalaureate programs. These partnerships are important because they enhance the education and sophistication of nurses at all levels of their educational experience. Preparing healthcare workers for the 21st century has become one of the most critical challenges our nation faces in the next 25 years. Rest assured that Portland Community College, along with Oregon’ s two- and four-year colleges and universities, will continue to seek ways to provide our communities with a skilled and caring healthcare workforce. We will work in concert with business, industry and government to meet the challenges we as Oregonians face today and into tomorrow.