How Parkview Health is introducing hands-on clinical tools to middle schoolers and driving academic success in high schools to train tomorrow’s caregivers
Ask any hospital administrator in Indiana about the single biggest challenge facing healthcare access, and the answer isn't the physical facilities. It's the pipeline of future caregivers. Physician shortages and nursing constraints require a proactive, long-term commitment to community workforce development.
At Parkview Health, we believe the solution begins long before college or medical school. It starts in local classrooms.
Through a comprehensive portfolio of student learning opportunities, we are giving middle and high school students across northeast Indiana direct exposure to healthcare careers, practical clinical tools and real-world problem-solving. It’s a win for students and Parkview.
Experiencing Healthcare Firsthand in the 6th Grade
Parkview welcomes every Fort Wayne Community Schools 6th grader at no charge by providing interactive and immersive visits for caregivers, with the goal of sparking early interest in medical careers.
During their visit, students step out of the classroom and into interactive clinical stations led by Parkview clinicians and co-workers. Rather than watching lectures, students engage in hands-on activities. For example, learning how to place stitches using synthetic skin models, handling diagnostic equipment and using virtual reality tools to experience modern care settings from a provider's perspective.
By connecting young students with practicing nurses, physicians and allied health professionals, we help them visualize a future career in medicine right here in their home community.
Partnering for High School Success: Junior Achievement 3DE
Our commitment to local youth continues into high school through a partnership with Junior Achievement’s 3DE program across all five public high schools in Fort Wayne.
Through 3DE, Parkview leaders provide real-world business and clinical case challenges to high school freshmen, challenging them to analyze complex organizational problems and present structured solutions. In their senior year, students participate in consultancy projects directly mentored by Parkview professionals.
The results of this structured engagement extend far beyond career awareness. The first graduating class in Fort Wayne to complete the multi-year 3DE curriculum experienced a 7 percentage point increase in graduation rates, proving that real-world industry integration directly strengthens academic achievement.
Treating Workforce as Regional Infrastructure
Access to care is fundamentally dependent on the clinicians who provide it. By combining early middle school clinical immersion with rigorous high school consultancy programs, Parkview is building an integrated workforce pipeline that introduces local students to rewarding healthcare careers and keeps clinical talent in northeast Indiana for generations to come.