GEM-Nursing

Group Electronic Mentoring in Nursing (GEM-Nursing) encourages students, ages 15-21, to pursue nursing careers through innovation group e-mentoring GEM-Nursing raises youth awareness on the educational opportunities, career options, and benefits of working in nursing fields and also provides tools and encouragement that help students and communities to address the workforce shortage in these areas. Students use the Daily Digest listserv to dialogue with professionals who answer their questions about education and career development in nursing and allied health and share interesting stories and work experiences.

Students also have access to the GEM-Nursing Web site (www.gem-nursing.org) which provides information on mentors, fun learning activities, and a calendar of upcoming events. In addition, the program promotes nursing clubs, which allow students to meet with a professional nurse mentor once a month to learn about nursing and to build personal relationships. Finally, GEM-Nursing sponsors regional events that bring students and mentors together and raise public awareness about the program and its participants.

Warren County Healthcare Career Mentoring Campaign

The Warren County Healthcare Career Mentoring campaign focuses on educating students on the benefits and opportunities of a career in healthcare in order to remedy the shortage of healthcare personnel in Warren County and raise the overall income earned by citizens of Warren County . In the guest speaker program, local healthcare professionals and healthcare faculty from area colleges speak with high school students about their experiences and the opportunities available in the healthcare field. Another program component, the healthcare entrepreneur workshop teaches students about innovative ways that they can participate in the healthcare field. In addition, job shadowing and informational interviews allow students to gain firsthand insight on different healthcare occupations and to have their questions addressed by professionals in the field. In each of these programs, Warren County students have an opportunity to learn from local women and university personnel about particular healthcare occupations as well as educational and training requirements.

Dickson County HMO-Healthcare Mentoring

The Tennessee Economic Council on Women partnered with the Girl Scouts of Cumberland Valley in Dickson , TN , to provide a healthcare career club, “Today’s HMO-Healthcare Mentoring Opportunities,” for high school HOSA students in Dickson County . The HMO met monthly at the local hospital and invited hospital employees and other healthcare workers to speak to its group. In addition, this group sponsored a one-day, hands-on conference for young women who are potentially interested in pursuing a career in a medicine/healthcare field.

 Healthcare Career Campus

Healthcare Career Campus is a one-day, hands-on conference for young women who are potentially interested in pursuing a career in a medicine/healthcare field. Women professionals from fields including pediatrics, oncology, forensics, dentistry, emergency room, dermatologists, psychiatry, research, genetics, pharmacology, neurology, veterinary medicine interact with young women and answer questions about their field. Meeting and talking to women in different healthcare fields helps young women to realize that they have the potential to pursue any career they choose. Also, the young women participate in games and activities that help them to learn about different careers. This program allows girls to gain information and insight on healthcare career opportunities in a fun interactive environment.