AURORA, Colo. — Aurora Public Schools (APS) and UCHealth are working to attract more young people to the healthcare profession as physician supply lags behind patient demand.
Colorado is projected to be short more than 2,000 doctors by 2030. That shortage also extends to nurses, healthcare administrative jobs, and more.
David Mafe with UCHealth said the COVID-19 pandemic caused many people to leave the industry, in addition to employees aging out.
"Like many industries today, healthcare is going through a real challenge with an aging population that gives us kind of a double whammy," Mafe said.
One way UCHealth is trying to fill the gap is by partnering with APS and allowing students to visit different medical departments, volunteer, and get jobs upon graduation.
Osvaldo Melero is an APS graduate who works at the Eye Center off East Colfax Avenue in Aurora. He took advantage of UCHealth's partnership by visiting their Aurora campus to help fill much-needed jobs.
"Right now, I'm a patient access specialist. So my job mostly revolves around scheduling, sorting, faxes," Melero said.
Another solution is the Ascend program, which allows all employees to work at UCHealth and receive financial assistance in the hopes of filling a medical role. Participants work 20 hours each week to receive help with their schooling.
"It's giving our staff the opportunity to grow their careers debt-free and explore different roles in healthcare," Mafe said.
The goal is to get APS students into the healthcare field and promote UCHealth employees to further their education.