It is not surprising to see 13 of the 20 fastest growing occupations from 2014-2024 are related to the health industry. For instance, occupational therapy assistants ranked second with a projected growth rate of 43 percent according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. With an aging baby boomer population, people will need to be trained to care for them. Most health-related occupations require specialized training well beyond high school. Before making the large investment in schooling, it is important to discover if a health occupation is right for you. Michigan State University Extension recommends attending a pre-college program to explore the many health-related occupations in high demand.

Future Docs is pre-college program provided by MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is offered in three locations across Michigan during different semesters: fall semester – Detroit, winter semester – Macomb and summer semester – Lansing. Over the course of nine Saturdays, students learn hands on what it is like to work in a variety of medical settings, including forensic nursing, pathology, emergency medicine, urology, optometry and much more. 

OsteoCHAMPS is like Future Docs on steroids. It is a nine-day residential summer program also provided by MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. High school students enrolled in the program have a jam-packed schedule complete with challenging academics, exposure to medical fields, team-building activities and leadership skill development. The program includes a wide range of pre-medical classes such as anatomy, chemistry, physiology, forensics, preventative medicine, clinical skills, physics and math taught in university classrooms and labs.

Michigan Area Health Education Center includes five regional centers across the state that partner with universities and hospitals to offer numerous health-related pre-college programs and camps. These include the Bio-medical Career Advancement Program, Wayne State University C-2 Pipeline and Michigan Health Sciences Pre-College Exposure Academy summer camp.

Many of the programs mentioned here are accepting applications now and the deadlines are fast approaching! Don’t delay, start today exploring your potential career of tomorrow.