NECC Rad tech students take instruction.

A series of webinars designed for healthcare educators and professionals exploring innovation in healthcare education and training will be offered through Northern Essex Community College for three consecutive Fridays beginning April 24.

Funded by a Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Innovation Fund, it was originally designed as a one-day convening with a focus on new and emerging innovations in the education of nursing and allied health professionals with a competency-based education focus. The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced NECC’s Academic Innovations and Professional Development department to pivot and instead create a series of roundtable webinars that include – “The Health Care Workforce in a Crisis,” Friday, April 24, from noon to 1 p.m.; “Planning for the Future: Critical Healthcare Education Issues,” Friday, May 1, from noon to 1 p.m.; and “Designing New Credentials and Programs After the Pandemic,” Friday, May 8, from noon to 1 p.m.

“The crisis has shined a light on the already acute need for qualified healthcare workers. The pandemic brings a sense of urgency to training healthcare workers, so it is layered on top of the already existing need to further develop the education and training system for the field,” said Kim Burns, dean of Academic Innovations and Professional Development. “We couldn’t convene solely on the issue of workforce development without addressing the current crisis. As you can see, the healthcare panelists are from the workforce development side of the industry – those most focused on developing a pipeline of talent.”

The webinars feature speakers from higher education and healthcare to document current adaptive practices in healthcare education in the face of the pandemic, said Burns. “We will create a space for reflection about what might come next—4, 6, or 12 months down the road.”

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to cause major disruptions, higher education and healthcare institutions are preparing the essential, frontline healthcare workforce. These institutions, which are quickly adapting to new delivery models, will be critically important as our nation navigates a fluid, rapidly changing healthcare environment.

For additional information, contact Burns at kburns@necc.mass.edu

Register for one or all three. Register here in advance.