​Although those in the long term health care industry probably wouldn’t be too surprised, the numbers are still staggering.

When checking Nebraska’s list of job openings statewide, health care positions dominate the top 10:

• registered nurse is No. 1.
• nursing assistant is No. 3.
• licensed practical nurse is No. 4.

Combined, those available positions represent more than half of all the open positions in Nebraska.

Jalene Carpenter and Nebraska Health Care Association (NHCA) have established several initiatives to drive awareness, understanding, and promotion for their more than 400 member companies and the industry as a whole.

Health Care Reality TV

Its People Worth Caring About Docuseries, which focuses on nursing home and assisted living careers, premieres on Oct. 24. The seven-part docuseries showcases the variety of career opportunities and rewards of working in Nebraska’s nursing homes and assisted living communities.

Filming began in the spring with funding from Nebraska Health Care Foundation (NHCF). The crew, led by renowned host Peter Murphy Lewis, visited seven facilities statewide, including nursing homes and assisted living communities—big and small—for-profits and non-profits, and county-led centers in rural and urban locations.

Carpenter said it’s produced similarly to reality TV, as Lewis works alongside the health care staff and helps the viewers learn their stories. The series was produced in partnership with Golden Gen Movement, a local non-profit whose mission is to shine a light on the compassionate teams and rewarding careers in senior living. 

“The series takes a different lens and story angle about what it’s like to work in long term care,” Carpenter said. “It’s a very real, hands-on experience. Industry promotional videos like this are often too glossy. However, we know that’s not always how it works in long term care.”

The approximately 15-minute segments showing the full breadth of the worker will be shared through social media, targeted at audiences interested in health care careers, such as career technical schools and those offering nursing assistant classes.

Carpenter, who will mark her third year at NHCA in November, has worked in health care her entire career. She said that during board meetings, the industry had been asking, “How can we change the narrative about our careers? How do we educate people sooner about what it’s like to work in long term care?”

Carpenter said the docuseries is the thing she’s most proud of in her career because of the impact it can have. 

“It turned out better than we could’ve expected,” she said. “It truly showed the innate humanness of the work that we’ve always struggled to convey. Long term care is an intensely emotional connection. There is a level here that I’ve not seen. Peter captured it so well.”

Talent Pipeline for Young Students

In partnership with Nebraska Hospital Association, NHCA has also played a leading role in developing the Nebraska Health Careers Pipeline Initiative, which aims to provide real-life exploration experiences to students in grades 3-12 across Nebraska and grow the state’s health care workforce.

Carpenter said, like the docuseries, this is a holistic approach. 

“This long-term initiative promotes health care careers to young students, so when they are ready to consider careers, they will have been made aware of the industry’s benefits and job opportunities,” she said. “We’re finding that the sooner you can share information about our career paths—including those at young ages—the better.”

Since its launch earlier this year, the initiative—supported by NHCF and Medica—has provided a specially created health sciences curriculum to 3,000 youth through afterschool programs and summer camps in 30 sites across Nebraska. 

At no cost, the curriculum is packaged with all necessary materials, including workbooks for the students and the facilitators. These instructors are from existing community organizations such as recreation centers, afterschool programs, and student organizations such as HOSA. The program’s lessons build week over week.

“It’s important to have good partners working with you who understand the scope of work ahead of time,” Carpenter said. “Make sure you use established afterschool and summer camp programs.”

Alliance Supporting Positive Immigration Solutions

NHCA is one of more than 60 statewide organizations that have joined the Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities to support changes in immigration and promote constructive solutions. Participating organizations represent a wide range of communities: rural, urban, health care, agriculture, hospitality, education, construction, business, labor, immigrant, and faith.

Immigrants represent a primary source of employment candidates. Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities is at the front end of pursuing legislative initiatives that focus on individuals in the community right now.

“These legislative goals will produce small incremental byproducts,” Carpenter said. “We intend to make all of them equal in importance and priority. If we get one or two of them passed, it will be a success because it will create more stability in our industry. Our group is realistic; they’re not expecting sweeping changes.”

“It is essential to eliminate barriers to employment and attract more people eager to serve our seniors,” she said. “Our members tell us that updating immigration laws is crucial for building a robust workforce.”

Spanish Translation of Nurse Assistant Manual

NHCA is unique to other state long term care associations in that it administers a post-secondary career college accredited by the Nebraska Department of Education. The college's core courses are Basic Nursing Assistant Training and Medication Aide Training. Nursing homes and assisted living communities serve as training and testing sites under NHCA’s membership umbrella.

To grow the state’s long term care workforce and create career access for Nebraska’s immigrant community members, NHCA is set to release a Spanish version of its long-published Basic Nursing Assistant Training Student Manual and Workbook by the end of the year. The manual is required material for individuals who take the Basic Nursing Assistant Training course.

Paul Bergeron is a freelance writer based in Herndon, VA.