Medical careers were on display this past weekend for sixth grade students in West Texas, NewsChannel 9 KTSM reports.
The students from the El Paso Independent School District devoted their afternoon this past Saturday to partaking in "Adventure for Your Future," a program at Texas Tech that encourages the up-and-coming generation to plan ahead and think about the future. The Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce is concerned about reduced numbers of qualified and experienced healthcare employees.
"We want to help our community have more college graduates. Help our community have more professionals and make sure that El Paso just continues, and our students continue to stay here, and continue to contribute for a greater El Paso," college readiness director Nancy Evans with the El Paso Independent School District told the news source.
University of Texas at El Paso official Lorraine Turres told the publication that the variety of healthcare jobs is abundant and teaching students this at an early age is of paramount importance.
Many healthcare jobs require no more college education than four years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, for more specialized responsibilities such as diagnoses and treatment, advanced education is typically required.