Virtual Healthcare Education Is Key To Addressing Workforce Needs – Forbes
Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that medical students in New York will be permitted to practice a few months before completing their education. States, cities and communities are calling for medical professionals and healthcare workers to consider coming out of retirement to staff clinics and hospitals. And a spate of innovative training providers for healthcare workers are beginning to make an impact.
In Colorado, the state’s Board of Nursing, for the first time, approved training startup Next Step to provide free, online training and certification for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) students, who have been displaced from school as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Penn Foster has spearheaded the launch of a free program that trains healthcare professionals to perform COVID-19 tests, in order to meet rapidly growing demand.
In Texas, The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP), which trains over 4,500 students in allied health programs each year, shifted their entire institution online in a matter of days. I talked with Eric Bing, CEO of CHCP, about their model, how they are supporting students and healthcare employers during the pandemic and what modifications they may consider going forward.