- The healthcare industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world.

As the industry grows, so will the demand for healthcare professionals.

Today in the career center, we explore job opportunities in healthcare, go on the job with a nurse and learn about a career training program for aspiring medical professionals.

Plus, a skill every healthcare professional must master.

Stay tuned.

- [Announcer] The career center is made possible by General Motors, and by these supporters.

and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(electronic music) (techno electronic music) (birds chirping) (crowd talking) (bell rings) - Miss Pisani, my career survey said that healthcare is another great match for me.

- That's actually really great because healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries, and people who get into healthcare tend to have an interest in helping others in need, which matches with some of your other results.

Another really great thing is that there are hundreds of opportunities in the medical careers.

Let's take a look at some of those.

(lively music) (mouse clicking) - [Narrator] The healthcare industry is booming and ten-year projections indicate continued strong growth.

In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that nearly one in seven Americans will be employed in the healthcare and social assistance industry by 2028.

The large population of aging baby boomers is often cited as a major contributor to this growth.

As they grow older, many develop health concerns that require more care, increasing the need for workers to meet the demand.

Technology and innovation are expanding the types of healthcare jobs available, as well as generating new products and services.

In addition, changes to medical insurance models have expanded the number of people who obtain medical care.

The primary function of the healthcare industry is to treat patients facing illness or injury, whether to cure or rehabilitate from a condition, to maintain wellness, or to provide comfort or palliative care to persons dealing with incurable conditions.

A number of other industries relate closely to healthcare, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and health insurance.

In this industry, credentials matter greatly.

Jobs are generally defined by the education, certification and licensure you possess.

For example, certified nurse assistant, licensed practical nurse or registered nurse.

Quick facts to know: nearly 21 million people are employed in the healthcare and social assistance industry.

Mental healthcare, behavioral health and substance abuse services are expanding as they've become increasingly de-stigmatized.

Telehealth developments continue to expand to make patient care more accessible and reduce staff involvement.

Examples include wearable devices that measure and document heart rate and artificial intelligence nurse coaches.

Wellness care to prevent illness and stay well is gaining emphasis, often by insurance companies seeking to minimize healthcare spending.

Providers are increasingly measured based on patient satisfaction and outcomes.

As more healthcare records and information are communicated digitally, protecting patient data is increasingly important.

(lively music) (lively music continues) (exciting music) (electric guitar music) - Well, I'm both a doctor and a scientist.

So as a scientist, I have a laboratory, and in that laboratory, I get to ask questions about the brain and make new discoveries of how the brain works.

And then what I get to do as a doctor is I get to take those new discoveries and new drugs I develop and I get to take them to my patients in the clinic and I get to treat them.

(electric guitar music) I became interested in being a neurologist which is a doctor who primarily takes care of people who have problems with their brain.

I became interested in it early on when I saw people who did have trouble walking, who did have trouble thinking, who were sick.

And so I wanted to become a neurologist to better understand the brain so I could help people and help make them better, and we've done that.

(electric guitar music) I had a teacher who told all of us, be kind, be nice.

(electronic lively music) (electronic lively music continues) (electronic lively music continues) - My friend Caden went to Eastern Michigan's Health and Human Services program to see what nursing was like.

Let's see what he learned.

(electronic lively music) - It's safe to say that everyone's been on the receiving end of a nurse's care, but what does it take to do the job and why are nurses drawn to this profession?

To find out, I visited Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

- Hi, I'm Caden.

- Hi Caden.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Dr. Washington.

Welcome to the School of Nursing at Eastern Michigan University.

I'd like to introduce you to some people who can tell you about this great career of nursing.

- That's awesome.

let's do it.

- Let's go this way.

- Okay, so today, Caden, we have a patient coming in, presenting with a sore throat.

We're gonna check out his tonsils, do an assessment and I'll let you see what that looks like.

- Okay.

- All right.

- Let's do it.

- Sounds good.

Hi, I'm Brittany.

I'll be your student nurse today.

We're here to check you out and see what's going on, okay?

The first thing we do before any patient encounter, is perform hand hygiene.

And then next, we find out what brings the patient in today.

So Frank, what's going on?

What brings you in?

- So I have a really bad sore throat.

- All right, so once we find out the chief complaint and what brings him in, we'll do an assessment and we'll look at his throat.

So I'll get the light and then Frank, I'll have you go ahead and open your mouth and stick your tongue out for me and say, ah.

- Ah.

- All right.

So I do see a little redness.

- Okay.

I was gonna ask what you were checking for.

- Yeah, so I'm checking for anything that's abnormal.

So any redness, white spots, swelling.

And he does have a little redness.

Thank you.

And then next I'll just go ahead and palpate his neck and assess for any tenderness or swelling in his lymph node area.

- Okay.

- All right.

- So Brittany, why did you get into nursing?

- I decided to get in nursing when my niece was sick at a young age and at that moment I decided to become a nurse so that I could have the knowledge and experience to help my family and friends.

- Aww.

That's awesome.

- Yeah.

- How's nursing school going so far?

- Yeah, so it is challenging, but it's been a great experience.

You definitely wanna have the dedication and commitment to put into the program.

But I'm learning a lot along the way and looking forward to graduation.

- Last question.

Do you have any advice for anyone starting?

- You wanna do research and find out what programs best fit you and pursue those prerequisites, get those courses done and work in a clinic or a hospital as a CNA or a medical assistant to have some more experience, and also starting your classes to get the education background.

- Awesome.

Well, thank you so much.

And one more question.

What is next?

- Well, I think Nurse Sam has a patient waiting for you.

- Okay.

Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- [Caden] I shadowed Nurse Sam, who is conducting a follow up exam on a surgical patient.

- Well now Caden, we're going to assess Ms. Vicky for some range of motion.

- Okay.

- We're gonna ask her to stand.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- Oh, thank you.

- [Nurse Sam] And these are called range of motion exercises and especially after surgeries, a lot of times your range of motion is limited.

You're not able to lift your knee, you're not able to walk properly.

These are just part of batteries of tests we can use to assess for motion, walking.

Say she had problem walking, she might need a walker or a cane or crutches, but she obviously has no problem.

She walks as good or better than I do.

(Caden laughs) - What is it that you love about your job?

- Well, I love the people.

I love caring for people.

I love the families, the patients, and I love the fact that you can make a good living.

Salary is good and and it's good work to do.

You feel like you've accomplished something.

- So is there room for advancement in this career?

- There is almost unlimited room for advancement.

You can be an advanced practice nurse like a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist.

There's tons of other areas.

There's home care, there is nurse informatics, wound care.

- [Caden] Wow.

- If you get tired of one area, you can always advance into another one and you can work as much as you want basically.

So the prospect for the near future and probably far into the future is very good.

- That's amazing.

- It is.

- Got options.

- You have many options.

- [Caden] Yes.

- Well, this is all really interesting.

Thank you so much for taking the time to show me, Nurse Sam.

- You're very welcome and good luck with your choice of a career.

- Thank you.

- So I guess my first question for you is why did you get into nursing?

- When I was younger, my father suffered a heart attack and he actually required a heart transplant.

When I was in the hospital visiting him, I noticed it was oftentimes the nurse who was at the bedside helping my father and I just was always in awe of their care and their compassion and just I saw myself in that role.

- Dr. Frank, what are the qualities of being a good nurse?

- A good nurse would be caring.

They would be humble.

They would be great at communicating.

And at the end of the day you would feel like the nurse was almost your friend like they were your advocate and they wanted the best for you.

- What would you say the most difficult part of your job is?

- So the job itself can be very stressful.

There can be a lot of chaos going on, in terms of the patient's condition, or maybe it is dealing with and communicating with the patient's family members, friends, things of that nature.

But overall, if you can just really think about big picture and that you're trying to help the patient, you're trying to get them better, those things can be overcome.

- What do you want people to know about this profession that they might not know?

- There is a nursing shortage just about anywhere you go.

So I would say if you're interested in nursing, there's a lot of opportunity.

There's a huge need, and I would say jump right in.

Go for it.

- Awesome.

I had no idea that the nursing field was so limitless.

As a nurse, you'll be given endless chances to heal minds hearts, and bodies.

And a nurse never runs out of things to learn or patients to care for.

- [Narrator 2] People recovering from accidents or disease or who just want to stay active as they age, call on the skills of a physical therapist to help them manage their pain, grow stronger and become more mobile.

Physical therapist, also called PTs, work with people of all ages who have pain or limitations from a variety of sources including injuries, amputations, strokes, or illness.

PTs design an individualized plan for each patient using exercises, stretching, massage and hands-on therapy.

They also teach patients to use equipment like canes or prosthetics.

PTs always review a patient's medical history before making a plan, then track the patient's progress during the course of treatment.

Educating patients and their families about what to expect from the recovery process is a critical part of this job.

Physical therapists work on a team of healthcare professionals and oversee the work and physical therapy aides and assistants.

They work in clinics, hospitals, home healthcare and nursing homes, and may specialize in areas like pediatrics or sports medicine.

Lifting and moving people and heavy objects are all part of the day's work.

To enter this career, you will need a doctorate of physical therapy and a state issued license.

This field provides the deeply satisfying experience of helping people to regain abilities they have lost, manage pain and live their lives more fully.

(exciting music) (exciting music continues) (exciting music continues) - The healthcare industry offers a wide range of opportunities with different levels of education.

So as you've been exploring different career paths, what sort of post high school exploration have you looked into?

- I never really thought about it.

Everyone's always talking about college.

It really just seems like the only option after high school.

- A lot of students think that, but that actually isn't the case.

So for example, you could do something called occupational training, and that means you're on the job, learning the skills that you need for that job.

It might involve some coursework, and that could be done through a union or some other trade organization or it could also mean some kind of professional tests where you get a certification, but then you're doing the job.

- That actually sounds like something my friend is doing.

Right now, she's an intern at a hospital so that next year she can actually work there.

- But I thought all medical professionals had to go to a four year college, right?

- That's not necessarily the case.

So maybe you could do something like Paige's friend where you're getting that occupational training on the job or you could even attend a community college.

So maybe there is a requirement for a two year degree or an associate's degree.

You could also go to a four year college.

So some jobs may require that you have a bachelor's degree or even a master's degree or a PhD.

In fact, we visited a local community college that helps prepare people for high demand careers in the medical field.

(lively music) (mouse clicks) - A smile is an important thing, right?

It could be a a source of insecurity or it could be something that you take great pride in.

(energetic music) So for me, my goal would just be to reach as many people as possible, especially those communities where dental care is hard to access and just give everyone the knowledge and information they need to maintain a happy, healthy smile.

For the last 10 years or so, I've been working in pharmacy, inpatient hospital, you know, hospitals are never closed so the hours can be kind of different especially when you have a family at home.

So dental hygiene kind of called my name a little bit with the hours and just no holidays, no weekends.

It just seemed to make the most sense for me and the family.

- I know it's crazy, but ever since I was in grammar school I always wanted to be a hygienist.

Dental hygienist is the person that works autonomously in a dental office.

So we work in collaboration with the dentist, trying to figure out what's going on with patients' oral health, and we may be providing treatment for them along with the dentist.

(drum music) - They can diagnose everything that I can diagnose.

The dental hygienist in our practice can do a lot of the the things that I can do.

Once they become certified in giving anesthetics, they can do that and all of the different things that are on the menu in the tissue bone aspect.

And so once they demonstrate that they have those diagnostic skills and the knowledge then they're able to do more.

Of the 11 hygienists that we have on staff right now, I wanna say eight of them went to KVCC.

What they receive at KVCC is a very well-rounded education.

- We'll be in the classroom, we learn a little bit in lab and then we try to take it to the patients during clinic.

My favorite class so far would have to be oral pathology.

It's kind of cool seeing how some of the different diseases that kind of manifest in the mouth can affect the rest of the body.

When I get out of dental hygiene and the program, I think I will see myself in a clinic, probably just being a clinician, very hands on.

- For a hygienist, it's an associate degree at most of the accredited dental hygiene programs in the United States.

In the state of Michigan we have the registered dental hygienist, and even within the dental hygienist, we can get an endorsement on our license for local anesthesia and nitrous oxide.

A person could go on and get their bachelor's in education and that will make them really viable for working on the clinic floor with students-types of things.

With a bachelor's in business, you could really work in that entrepreneur or working for a dental company or pharmaceutical company in sales and do stuff like that.

There's also public health.

An individual could work in a federally funded clinic, community clinics, those types of things.

Or even then work at the state level with public policy.

- It's just a very, very wonderful day when I can go into the dental hygiene room and it's a new patient exam, and the hygienist reviews everything that they've went through and when I just have to shake my head and yep, yep, yep.

- I think a two year program, it's very beneficial.

There's really nothing that can compare to this.

It's one of the highest paying jobs with an associate's degree.

So I think dental hygiene is really hard to match.

(lively fun music) (lively fun music continues) (lively fun music continues) - So when you think about your school projects, do you prefer working alone or working in groups?

- I typically prefer to work alone.

I get it done faster and it's at my preferred level of quality.

- I prefer working in a group because we can all combine our ideas to make the work better.

- What both of you're saying makes a lot of sense.

Sometimes there are projects that you just do better when you're doing it on your own, but other times it's really helpful to have some input from other people.

So I've been working on these videos about 21st century skills, and I just did one recently on the skill of collaboration, and so we talk a little bit about how it can benefit you to work with others in the workplace and in school.

Let's take a look.

(mouse clicks) - Were you ever stuck on a problem and then a friend shared a suggestion or idea that helped you get unstuck?

Or you got assigned to a group project and you learned something new from someone in your group?

They say two heads are better than one for a reason.

Let's explore why that adage is true.

Hi, I'm Andrea Pisani.

I work with students every day to help them explore their passions and make great futures for themselves.

Let's talk about the skills everyone needs to make it in the 21st century, 21st century skills.

Today we focus on the learning skill of collaboration and how it can give you a leg up in school and in your future career.

Collaboration is the process of working with others to achieve a common goal.

It involves communication, problem solving and sharing resources, so that everyone can contribute their unique skillsets towards accomplishing a given task.

Collaboration has become increasingly important in today's world as teams of people from various backgrounds come together to tackle complex challenges.

Through collaboration, individuals can learn from each other and create better solutions than they could have achieved individually.

Think about the healthcare industry.

Teams of healthcare professionals often collaborate to create and manage patient care plans.

Nurses collaborate with doctors to monitor patient progress and make treatment recommendations.

Hospitals use cross-functional teams to identify and solve systemic problems, to improve patient care and outcomes.

Medical researchers collaborate with scientists, institutions and research participants to conduct studies and develop new treatments and therapies.

Collaboration is important in the world of work in every industry because it allows teams to pull their ideas, knowledge and strengths together for greater impact.

By actively involving each other in the problem solving process, people come up with innovative and creative solutions that would not have been possible otherwise.

Collaboration, simply put, is all about folks working together.

Each with a role of responsibility with an end goal of making or producing something.

It's not always easy to do, but when it works, it is extremely useful and powerful, and it's because of how useful and powerful it is that it's changing how we approach learning and how we do our jobs.

Lots of time, collaboration works best when each person on the team has a specific job.

In fact, that's the way many workplaces in the 21st century set up collaborative work.

Different people with different roles all work on a common goal or project.

It's helpful because each individual can work in an area where they have skill and expertise, allowing them to learn from, and contribute to the learning of others.

Collaboration requires that you use social skills and demonstrate empathy in working with diverse groups of people.

We've all been in that group project that didn't quite work out the way we planned.

So what does it take to make collaboration work?

(bell dings) Good communication is the foundation for effective collaboration.

The more you understand how to communicate clearly and respectfully with others, the easier it will be for you to collaborate with them in order to achieve a desired outcome.

Additionally, good communication skills help foster relationships and trust among group members.

So make sure you remain open and honest when communicating your ideas.

And remember, being a good communicator also includes being an active listener.

You don't have to agree with everything someone else says but it's important that you listen carefully before expressing your own opinion.

This will likely result in better outcomes and allow members of different backgrounds and perspectives to contribute equally to discussions.

(bell dings) Make sure everyone has a chance to participate fully when collaborating on a project or task.

No one should dominate the conversation while others are left out.

If someone isn't taking part in conversations or sharing ideas openly, take time to get them involved by asking them what they think about certain topics or proposing questions that spark dialogue.

(bell dings) Collaboration often requires compromise so remember to be flexible.

When working with others., you may have differing opinions or approaches towards tasks, and that's okay.

Working together with peers is an essential part of every student's learning journey.

(robotic voice) And in today's digital world, (normal voice) collaboration skills are more important than ever.

Being able to skillfully collaborate can help you succeed in the classroom, secure job opportunities and increase your impact in your future field.

To explore more 21st century skills, be sure to visit our website, mifutureofwork.org.

We have an entire series of videos taking a deeper look at each learning, literacy and life skills that will help you prepare for life and work.

Collaboration is definitely important in the field of healthcare.

Do either of you see yourselves getting into that field?

- I could see myself going into healthcare.

- I'm not sure.

I would like to explore it more.

- It's great that you have something that you're connecting to with it and I think it's really important to dig a little bit deeper and find out if there's more that you're interested in.

And if you want to learn more about a career in healthcare, visit our website at mifutureofwork.org/healthcare.

There you'll find videos, resources and more to set you on your path.

And take some time this week to explore the education requirements for a career that you're interested in.

See you next time.

- [Announcer] The Career Center is made possible by General Motors, and by these supporters, and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(electronic music) (fun electronic music) (fun electronic music continues) (fun electronic music continues) (piano music)