(February 2025) – The Kansas Hospital Association recently hosted the third annual Kansas Virtual Health Care Career Day. More than 4,200 students from more than 200 schools joined KHA for this exciting and fulfilling event. KHA organized the event with the Kansas Department of Education and the Kansas Board of Regents. The primary goal of the Kansas Virtual Health Care Career Day is to give students a glimpse inside Kansas hospitals to learn more about the many career opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical, available in health care and engage them in real-world learning.

The health care careers showcased during the virtual career day included respiratory therapy, family practice medicine, facilities management, behavioral health, pharmacy, health information technology/cybersecurity, occupational therapy and critical care nursing/intensive care. Throughout the event, Kansas middle, high school and collegiate students – alongside hundreds of adult learners and interested second careerists – heard first-hand from Kansas health care professionals who explained what training is required to perform their function and why they believe their career choice is rewarding.

Thank you to the teams at AdventHealth, Overland Park, Ottawa and Shawnee Mission; Clay County Medical Center, Clay Center; Community HealthCare System, Onaga; HaysMed, Hays; NMC Health, Newton; Rice Community Health, Lyons; Rooks County Health Center, Plainville; and The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City.

This event also showcases our www.HappyInHealthCare.org website. The site features a career quiz, scholarships, schools, jobs and many other avenues for exploring resources about health care careers. Each career includes information on the education needed, minimum salaries, job opportunities and much more. We have recently added maps and links to hospitals, colleges and universities. We encourage you to check out the resources available on the www.HappyInHealthCare.org website!