Hope in the Workforce: Indiana's Healthcare Future Amid Staffing Struggles

Fisher's, Indiana - As rural hospitals across the state struggle to stay open and the healthcare industry faces a projected shortage of 100,000 workers by 2028, local students are serving up hope.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun warned that the future of health care in the state is in trouble. "We've got 80 to 90 rural hospitals hanging on by their fingernails," Braun said. "You got five to seven very rich systems, and if you run like an unregulated utility, something's gonna have to be done to make sure we have good care."

Staffing remains one of the biggest concerns, with a nationwide shortfall in healthcare workers continuing to grow unless changes are made.

Kimberly Nealon, chief nursing officer, said, "We do have some vacancies. But, you know, it's health care. People my generation, we get a job and we stay forever, right? Kids seem to have it more together than we did — they are choosing career paths and jobs that really meet their own personal needs."

A group of twenty teens is participating in H-Camp - a week-long healthcare camp giving them a hands-on look at the field. The students, including Priya Singh and Addison Richmond, said the experience has helped them understand different aspects of medicine.

Singh, a senior at Hamilton Southeastern, said, "This entire week it's allowed us to understand different aspects of medicine." Richmond added, "We've seen a lot of different things, not only just like hands-on experiences, like Stop the Bleed, or just other things, but also listening to presentations from so many different fields of medicine."

For Richmond, the experience helped narrow her focus. She said, "Two things that I kind of came in were like physical therapy or occupational therapy, and after speaking with the PA, that's probably like my main choice now." Singh discovered new possibilities, saying, "After hearing through a few physicians giving their speeches and just seeing their hands-on experience, I really consider doing internal medicine now because I think I would love that field."

While their paths may vary, the students share a common goal: to help others. Singh said, "I would just feel like a fulfillment in my life to be able to help someone through their hardships." Richmond added, "Just hearing how passionate these people are here with their jobs, it's just been really eye-opening to see that too."

Nealon said the students have impressed her. She said, "They have all the right answers. Like I said, if I could hire them next week, I would."