Partnership with Aurora schools, community college promotes health careers
(Sept. 24, 2008) The health care industry is expected to generate more jobs by 2016 than any other industry in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3 million new 
health care jobs will be created in less than 10 years. As a leading employer in that sector, the University of Colorado Denver announced Aurora Lights on Sept. 24, a new program that offers Aurora middle school and high school students the chance to secure those jobs.
Aurora Lights will prepare students to become physicians, medical assistants, nurses, dentists, biostatisticians, researchers and more. This health careers pipeline has been newly funded with a nearly $4 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Health Careers Opportunity Program.
“Aurora Lights creates a pathway to the Anschutz Medical Campus that I hope can be a destination for many Aurora school children,” said University of Colorado Denver Chancellor M. Roy Wilson.
Aurora Lights will focus on seven key areas:
Recruitment of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds
Facilitating entry of disadvantaged students to health profession schools
Counseling, mentoring and other services to assist with graduation
Education and health research training
Financial aid information dissemination
Exposure to primary care activities
Development of a competitive applicant pool
New curricula already are under development at the Aurora Public Schools and the Community College of Aurora to help meet the educational demands of health professions.
“This partnership will provide students the chance to learn in state-of- the-art schools and at a state-of-the-art medical campus eventually transforming their lives,” said Aurora Public Schools Superintendent John L. Barry.
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides foundational courses for many health care careers, such as nursing, dentistry, pharmacy and medicine. In cooperation with the Aurora Lights grant, CCA offers seminars to help students increase their study skills, explore potential careers in health care, and prepare for the transition from the two-year community college environment to the professional school or program of their choice. Through the grant, new study materials are being added to the recently developed Science Library. To assist students, CCA has arranged for tutors in biology, chemistry, and anatomy & physiology courses.
“It is so critically important for this community that Aurora Public Schools, the Community College of Aurora and the University of Colorado Denver bring together their collective resources to ensure Aurora students can achieve their dreams in science and health care careers,” said Community College of Aurora President Linda Bowman, PhD.
Students participating in Aurora Lights will engage in many academic and cultural enrichment activities all aimed at increasing awareness, developing skills and motivating them to pursue a pre-health profession education. With seven of the 20 fastest growing careers related to the health industry, Aurora Lights will prove to be a valuable program for Aurora Public School graduates.
Photo: Children from Aurora’s North Middle School showing off their new white lab coats and on a tour of the Center for Advancing Professional Excellence at the University of Colorado Denver’s Anschutz Medical Campus.