Students in the Moscow High health professions program attend class at Gritman Medical Center.

Idaho has a severe healthcare workforce shortage across most health professions, with rural Idaho being the hardest hit by the lack of healthcare workers.

Recruiting healthcare workers isn’t easy. One way to address this workforce shortage is through Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in Idaho high schools, which is why the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health awarded nearly $600,000 in grants in 2024 to help launch or expand CTE health professions programs in 14 Idaho high schools.

“We spend a lot of time listening to educators and healthcare providers about the needs in our state,” Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Executive Director Kendra Witt-Doyle said. “It was evident that there is a strong desire and need to create and expand health professions CTE programs in Idaho. These programs will help address the healthcare workforce shortage and prepare Idaho students for rewarding careers.”

Grants were awarded to the following schools:

  • American Falls School District
  • Boise Public Schools
  • Butte School District
  • Cassia Joint School District
  • Elevate Academy North
  • Firth School District
  • Jerome School District
  • Kamiah Joint School District
  • Middleton School District
  • Moscow School District
  • Orofino Joint School District
  • Payette River Regional Technical Academy
  • Joint School District 60 (Shelley)
  • Sugar Salem Joint School District

CTE courses are designed to prepare Idaho youth for high-skill, in-demand careers. They give students the chance to explore a field to see if it is something they want to pursue. They also serve another important function — creating a qualified workforce for employers.

“It’s important that we get high school kids thinking about health professions – doctors, lab techs, LPNs – all of these professions,” said Brad Huerta, the CEO of Lost Rivers Medical Center in Arco. “Some of the bigger hospitals can recruit for specific positions, but we recruit for everything.”

The Idaho Division of Career Technical Education has six approved Health Professions pathways — Nursing Assisting, Medical Assisting, Dental Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, and Rehabilitation Services — which prepare students for these in-demand careers.

“It’s important for students to know that healthcare is more than doctors — there is a world of other health professions to choose from,” said Kodi Hyde, Firth School District.

A DESIRE FOR HEALTHCARE CTE

Students in the Moscow High health professions CTE program are taught by staff from the Gritman Medical Center.

CTE programs are gaining popularity in Idaho high schools. More than 117,000 students enrolled in CTE programs in the 2023-24 school year, including 9,466 in health professions and public safety courses. Because of this interest and demand, many schools and districts are looking to expand their CTE programs in both seats available and offering new courses.

Idaho Department of Labor reported more than 1,100 job openings for registered nurses and another 1,000-plus for nursing assistants. Idaho Launch, a new state government grant program that provides funding for high school seniors to pursue educational opportunities after high school, released its application numbers. Nursing and medical technician were among the top requested programs.

“The desire of our students is there, the demand is there, and this training is desperately needed,” said Robyn Robison, college and career counselor for the Sugar-Salem School District. “The courses and curriculum that we offer will provide students with a pathway into the medical field. Whether their goal is to become a certified nursing assistant, a medical assistant, nurse or doctor, we are creating a critical steppingstone in their path toward success.”

The Payette River Regional Tech Academy offers a medical assisting program because of its flexibility and value it brings to the students.

“There are many career options in the Medical Assisting Pathway, and all but a few of them show double digit growth projections over the next 10 years,” said Cherrie Moore, a teacher at the Payette River Regional Tech Academy in Emmett. “This pathway is a great choice for our students and our community as the careers range from entry level to advanced and all levels need workers.”

PARTNERSHIPS ARE CRUCIAL

CTE health professions programs often offer students a chance to experience learning outside of the classroom. One shining example is in Moscow, where high school students take a CTE class at the local hospital (Gritman Medical Center) that is taught by hospital staff. A clinic based in southern Idaho is paying a teacher’s salary to provide instruction in the Cassia County Joint School District’s Medical Assistant CTE program.

“They contacted us and described how there is a mammoth need for medical assistants in the Magic Valley,” said Kit Kanekoa, CTE director for Cassia County Schools.

In rural Idaho, these partnerships are even more crucial because a lack of qualified instructors. In remote Butte County, the school district will partner with Lost Rivers Medical Center and a local dental office for instructors and opportunities for clinical rotations that make CTE programs invaluable to students. Similar arrangements occur in other parts of the state.

Huerta, the CEO at Lost Rivers Medical Center, is excited about the new CTE program in the community.

“We’re excited to see the presence of actual high school students here to get them in the door,” Huerta said. “We don’t have the ability to recruit outside talent because not a lot of people want to live in a rural area. We have to grow our own, and that’s a huge strategy and one we count on.”

Butte County School District Superintendent Joe Steele views the new program as a service to the students and the community.

“In a small community like Arco, getting services like these is difficult,” he said. “If we can grow our own and keep workers in needed fields locally, the community benefits.”