Introduction
According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics Employment Projec-
tions for 2012-2022, professional
nursing is a profession with the
highest projected growth rate in
the next decade (Snavely, 2016).
Registered nurses (RNs) play a
critical role in today’s changing
healthcare system. Their skills,
knowledge, and compassion
directly impact the delivery of
safe, quality patient care. Due
to our nation’s increasing elderly
population, the demand for quali-
fied RNs and caregivers is on the
rise. According to the popula-
tion reference bureau report, the
number of Americans aged 65
and older is on course to double
from 46 million to more than 98
million by the year 2060 (West,
Cole, Goodkind, & He, 2014). This
will cause the share of the overall
population greater than 65 years
of age to increase to 24%. As the
number of older adults increases,
so does the population of those
suffering from chronic disease and
comorbidities needing specialized
geriatric care (Mather, Jacobsen,
& Pollard, 2016).
These demographics signal the
needed increase of qualified care-
givers. In addition to an increased
demand for care, the aging popu-
lation also affects our current
healthcare workforce as a signifi-
cant number of RNs near retire-
ment (American Association of
Colleges of Nursing, 2017). These
combined data points suggest
that by the year 2020, the United
States could face a shortage of up
to 800,000 nurses (see Figure 1).
Another area of concern is the
lack of racial and ethnic diversity
among our current healthcare
workforce. Research documents
the advantage of a diverse
healthcare workforce supported
by educational advantages for
diverse student populations
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Founda-
tion [KFF], 2016). However, the
current healthcare workforce does
not reflect the nation’s diversity.
Although people of color repre-
sent more than 25% of the total
population, this group represents
only 10% of healthcare profes-
sionals (Noonan, Lindong, &
Jaitley, 2012).
Given the rapidly changing U.S.
demography, it is reasonable
to assume that the majority of
future healthcare professionals
will care for patients from many
backgrounds. Furthermore,
patients feel that an organiza-
tion respects and values diversity
when they observe collabora-
tive staff of different racial and
ethnic backgrounds (Shimaski &
Walker, 2013).
Pipeline (or pathway) program-
ming promotes healthcare careers
among high school students in
underserved communities. These
programs, which attract students
who are underrepresented in
medicine, may address a profes-
sional nursing shortage by creat-
ing a diverse base of future RNs
and healthcare professionals.
According to research by Holden,
Rumala, Carson, and Siegel
(2014), some students identify
their professional path at an early
age. However, student focus group
findings showed that most under-
represented minority urban high
school students do not consider
career choice until the end of
their high school experience. The
few who identified a career at an
early age often reported that their
decision was due to a defining mo-
ment, experience, or exposure to
the field (Holden et al., 2014).
Recognizing the importance
of exposing students to defin-
ing moments, Lehigh Valley
Health Network (LVHN) created
youth programming to promote
healthcare professions. The main
objective of youth programming
at LVHN is to provide regional
Figure 1.
Issue 73, 1 2018 Pennsylvania Nurse 7