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Symposium

Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education

The Role of Community Colleges in Training Health Care Workers for an Aging Population

Wednesday, November 8, 2023
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Location: Room 122

The aging population in the U.S. has resulted in an increased need for healthcare workers in multiple health settings (e.g., home healthcare, nursing homes, hospitals, medical laboratories). Community colleges play an important role in educating healthcare workers that are critical to an aging population. Many of these occupations focus on home healthcare, empowering adults to remain at home rather than in a long-term care setting. This session will focus on novel ways that community colleges are effectively addressing workforce needs in multiple settings, including hospitals, home healthcare, long-term care, and medical laboratories. A panel of community college and university gerontology and education professionals representing GSA’s Community College and the Aging Workforce Interest Groups will share the innovative ways in which they are addressing the needs of an aging population. Yamashita and Narine will discuss the current and future demand for employees in healthcare occupations, especially those in long-term and home healthcare settings, and will focus on careers that do not require a bachelor’s degree. Velazquez’s presentation will focus on the impact COVID had on training healthcare workers in healthcare related occupations and how one community colleges adapted their curriculum. Cummins et al. will discuss a study that focused on the role literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills play in community college students’ success in the classroom and the healthcare workplace, focusing on employer interviews. Finally, Kaur will discuss the role Hillsborough Community College plays in training medical laboratory scientists and in providing employees for critical medical services to an aging society

This is a collaborative symposium between the Aging Workforce and Community College Interest Groups.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe population aging and growing need for healthcare workforce development in the U.S.
  • Describe ways in which community colleges interact with employers to improve student success in the workplace.
  • Discuss the role medical laboratory scientists play in meeting the needs of an ageing population.

Presentations:

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET
    Health Care Employers' Perspectives on Skills Required for Student Success in the Workplace

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Phyllis Cummins, PhD (she/her/hers) – Miami University

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET
    Roles of Community Colleges in Training the Health Care Workforce in the Aging Society

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Takashi Yamashita, PhD – University of Maryland, Baltimore County

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET
    Medical Laboratory Scientists' Role in the Care of an Aging Population

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Tripat Kaur, MLS(ASCP), Ed.D. (she/her/hers) – Hillsborough Community College

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET
    Impacts of COVID-19 on Training Health Care Workers at East Los Angeles Community College

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Janice Velazquez, M.S Family Consumer Sciences (she/her/hers) – East Los Angeles College