Across Southern California, hundreds of students are preparing for healthcare careers through specialized high school pathway programs. These pathways focus on nursing, patient care, emergency medicine, biotechnology, public health, medical assisting, sports medicine and other health professions.
Such students offer a valuable opportunity for hospitals to build awareness, strengthen workforce pipelines and connect with future talent early in their career journey.
Why Partner with High School Pathway Programs?
As workforce shortages continue to challenge healthcare, high school pathway programs offer direct access to students already exploring careers and developing foundational knowledge in the sector.
Partnerships with high schools can help hospitals:
- Build a sustainable pipeline of future talent.
- Increase awareness of clinical and non-clinical career paths.
- Advance workforce diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Strengthen community engagement and visibility.
- Support long-term recruitment and retention strategies.
A Proven Model for Workforce Development
Healthcare pathway programs exist throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Students in these programs take specialized courses such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, emergency medical response, patient care, health careers, biotechnology, nursing preparation and sports medicine. Many programs also offer CPR certification, dual enrollment opportunities, and college partnerships that help students advance toward healthcare careers.
Across Southern California, schools and hospitals are already collaborating to provide students with meaningful career exposure and learning experiences. Schools such as Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet, John F. Kennedy High School, and Ernest McBride High School have successfully partnered with healthcare organizations to help students explore careers while strengthening local workforce pipelines.
These partnerships demonstrate that early engagement benefits everyone:
- Students gain real-world exposure and career insight.
- Schools enhance learning opportunities and student outcomes.
- Hospitals cultivate future employees and community ambassadors.
Opportunities for Engagement
Hospitals can participate at a level that aligns with their resources and workforce goals.
| Easy | Moderate | Advanced |
| Career Day Speaker | Job Shadowing | Structured Internship Program |
| Facility Tour | Volunteer Placement | Clinical Observation Program |
| Mock Interviews | Mentorship Program | School-to-Employment Pipeline |
| Career Fair Participation | Summer Healthcare Camp | Apprenticeships |
Each level of engagement helps students better understand healthcare careers while creating opportunities for hospitals to identify and develop future talent.
A Strategic Investment in the Future
Partnering with high school pathway programs is more than community outreach. It’s a strategic workforce investment that helps healthcare organizations prepare for future staffing needs, develop diverse talent pipelines and strengthen connections with the communities they serve. As competition for talent continues growing, early engagement has become an increasingly important component of workforce strategy.
Take the Next Step
Now is the time to engage the next generation of healthcare professionals. Whether your organization is interested in hosting a career presentation, offering job shadowing opportunities, establishing a mentorship program or creating a structured internship pathway, every investment made today helps build the workforce of tomorrow.
HASC can help connect hospitals with local high school healthcare pathway programs and identify partnership opportunities that align with your workforce goals.
View list of Southern California pathway programs
Contact HASC to explore partnership opportunities and begin building your future workforce pipeline today. To learn more, email Soyinka Allen, program director, workforce development, at [email protected] or call (213) 538-0722.