WQED Pittsburgh: Media-Only Press Room

WQED’S PRODUCTION OF
‘ HEALTH CAREERS: A PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS’
TO BE WEB CAST TO MIDDLE SCHOOLS ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA
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Virtual job shadowing video will also air on November 10 at 5:30 p.m. on WQED tv13

PITTSBURGH, PA - WQED Multimedia’s Education and Community Resource Center has produced “Health Careers: A Prescription for Success,” a virtual job shadowing video. It will be web cast to more than 3000 middle school students from 23 areas throughout the state on Monday, November 8 at 10 a.m. The multimedia presentation was produced for Health Careers Week, a project of the Department of Labor & Industry/Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the 23 local Workforce Investment Boards.

“Healthcare is one of the fastest growing employment sectors in the state,” said WQED Multimedia Vice-President of Education, Karen Farmer White. “We are happy to be able to partner with schools, the WIB’s and the health care industry to bring valuable career information to middle school students.”

In addition to the web cast, “Health Careers: A Prescription for Success” will alsoair on WQED tv13 on Wednesday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m.

The program profiles the careers most in demand in the health care field today, as well as those forecasted to experience shortages in Pennsylvania, such as direct care, nursing, medical assistance, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, speech therapy, and radiology. According to the PA department of labor and industry there are 43 new openings in the health care industry every day.

Viewers will see health care workers on the job, followed by a discussion between a panel of professionals and an audience of middle school students, taped in the WQED Multimedia studios in Pittsburgh. The discussion includes questions from middle school students across the state, as well as the studio audience. Regina DeCarlo, co-host of the WQED television program “Teen’s On Q,” is the moderator.

Students ask big picture questions like “Why is there such a shortage of healthcare workers in our state” and “Why is healthcare such a high-growth field.” They also ask detailed questions, such as “Can an x-ray technician’s health be affected from the radiation from x-ray machines” and “What are the chances that you could become infected with the diseases you are handling in a laboratory.”

Pennsylvania Health Careers Week is November 8-12, 2004. The focus is to expose youth (7th and 8th graders) to health care careers. Organizations throughout Pennsylvania will be holding events during this week.

The week kicks off on Monday, November 8, at 10 a.m., with a “virtual” shadowing event at 23 middle schools across the state. Students at these schools will view information about key health care careers, and a question-and-answer session with the health care workers in the video. In addition, a panel of local health care workers will be assembled in each classroom to answer students’ questions. Representatives from the 23 local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) are coordinating the event across the state and will select a middle school in their area, assemble the “in-house” health care panel, and provide onsite support the day of the event.

WQED Multimedia, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2004, provides educational, cultural and informational products and services that enhance and engage the community. It is the parent company of WQED tv13, WQEX – your America’s Store channel, WQED fm89.3, WQEJ fm89.7/Johnstown, a publishing division that includes PITTSBURGH magazine, local and national television and radio productions, www.wqed.org and the WQED Education and Community Resource Center.