Expanding Entrepreneurship To Healthcare Students

National Entrepreneurship Education ForumCincinnati, OH

November 7, 2011

Happy Birthday

Malinda!!

1. Introduce NC REAL

2. Introduce New Healthcare Entrepreneurship Curriculum

3. Discuss Issues and Challenges Faced In This New Market

1. Experience a REAL Healthcare Entrepreneurship Activity

Overview of Today’s Presentation

Who Is NC REAL?NC REAL is a non-profit organization that works with all

levels of education in communities to provide entrepreneurial training. The core principles are:– Entrepreneurship education should be available to all youth and

adults– On-going support and professional development for educators in

entrepreneurship education is critical – Experiential, student-centered learning provides the best means

for students to accomplish work that is relevant to them and their communities

– Entrepreneurship education must build upon and be supported by the needs of communities

Who is NC REAL?

Mission Statement: Developing entrepreneurial talent and fostering the creation of sustainable enterprisesPresence in 94 of North Carolina’s 100 counties including:

50- K-12 Schools57- Post-Secondary Educational Institutions

Currently NC REAL has 9 curriculums to teach entrepreneurship. Including the New Healthcare Entrepreneurship Curriculum

Experiential Learning Process: What Makes NC REAL Unique

“Tell me, and I forget,

Show me, and I remember,

Involve me, and I understand.”

Why Develop A Healthcare Entrepreneurship Curriculum?

The Healthcare Industry is a rapidly growing field.

- Bureau of Labor Statistics projects home health aides to grow by 50% and personal home care aides to increase by 46% between 2008-2018

- In 2010, Healthcare industry added an average of 22,000 jobs/month. With 4,300 jobs in the home healthcare services being added in January 2011

- 2009 North Carolina employment rates for the healthcare industry were higher than national average (9.7% vs. 8.7%)

Need for Healthcare Entrepreneurship Curriculum

-Healthcare students have the clinical skills to provide service but are lacking the entrepreneurial skills

-Most healthcare students are not conditioned to think about starting their own business

- This curriculum was developed specifically for healthcare students to address some of the specific challenges they will face when starting their own healthcare business

Developing The Curriculum

- A first version of the Healthcare Entrepreneurship Curriculum began in 2009 at Piedmont Community College. It was designed to augment the regular REAL Entrepreneurship Course

After this initial run the curriculum was adapted again to cover more topics and serve as a full 24-30 hour independent course

Implementing the Healthcare Curriculum

- Through a grant from the North Carolina Rural Center, the second version of the Healthcare Curriculum was developed

- This grant also supported 5 schools to be “early initiators” of the curriculum

- Schools across the state applied- Once schools were selected 2 individuals from each

school were trained in this new curriculum- NC REAL worked with the schools to offer this new

course in Fall 2011

Publicizing and Recruiting This New Program

- Various methods were used to recruit students and community members to participate in the Healthcare Entrepreneurship Curriculum- Face to face classroom presentations- Fliers- Posting on school’s websites - Press releases in local papers- Having individuals in the Health Department recruit- Student orientations- Radio Ad

Current Program Numbers

- Three schools offered the REAL Healthcare Entrepreneurship Course

- 18 Individuals graduated from the course and developed a business plan

- Two schools plan to offer Healthcare Seminars in the next 2 months

Issues/Challenges: Lessons Learned

-Seminars versus full 8-week long course

-Need for better recruitment strategies

-Showing the need for entrepreneurship to healthcare students

-Program works better when bond between healthcare department and Small Business Center exists

Experience a REAL Healthcare Entrepreneurship Activity

What’s In A Name

Contact Information

NC REAL Entrepreneurship

Malinda ToddAssociate Director

3739 National Drive, Suite 110

Raleigh, NC 27612919-781-6833 ext.126 malinda@ncreal.org

Shannon GallagherEastern Coordinator3739 National Drive,

Suite 110Raleigh, NC 27612

919-448-8015 shannon@ncreal.org