In 1999, Children’s Hospital Colorado launched a workforce development initiative to introduce high school students to the wide variety of career opportunities in the health care profession. On Tuesday, the hospital system announced that the program is expanding to include several school districts in Colorado Springs.

The Medical Career Collaborative program, or MC², is currently accepting applications from high school sophomores at all El Paso County schools, Children’s Hospital officials said.

“So many students and future professionals located in the Denver metro region have discovered their passion and talent in health care through this program, so bringing it to Colorado Springs is a dream come true,” said Arnold Butiu, regional Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Children’s Colorado.

A primary purpose of the program, according to operations manager Brittnee Merritt, is to create a workforce as varied and diverse as the communities it serves.

““The goal of this program, and why it was built in the first place, was to have our communities be reflected in our hospitals,” Merritt said. “The way to do that is to create more exposure to the industry for students from underrepresented backgrounds.”

Students selected for the multi-year program will begin a paid Children’s Colorado internship at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, when they are juniors. During their 11-grade year, the selectees will gain exposure to the array of different health care fields through monthly field trips, workshops, and certifications. They will also participate in regular debriefing sessions where they can discuss what they see.

“Sometimes they’ll see things on the (hospital) floors that are really scary, up to and including death,” Merritt said. “Sometimes they’ll see amazing things, like watching a baby being born, and they’ll have the opportunity to talk about that.”

During their senior year, MC² students will receive mentorship and professional development training, including resume and cover letter writing, job interviewing, guidance for post-secondary education programs, Merritt said.

“Even if they ultimately decide that a career isn’t for them, they will still benefit from the program,” she said. “These students will learn basic life skills that will carry over into whatever field they choose.”

Ashley Sportel, career-connected learning coordinator for Harrison School District 2, said the MC² program could open up a world of new possibilities for local students.

“This level of exposure to the health care field is unbelievable,” Sportel said. “We hope many of our sophomores consider applying for MC² to not only benefit from the expanded knowledge of what’s possible to pursue in and career support from health care professionals, but to also provide organizations like Children’s (Hospital) Colorado with their unique perspectives, skillsets and diverse ideas.”  

One of the program’s goals is to infuse the profession with a more diverse workforce, but that doesn’t mean that only students of color should apply, Merritt said.

“People often think of diversity as just being race,” she said. “We think of diversity in terms of ability, gender, sexuality, economics — just the gamut of what makes a person a person. It runs so much deeper than just skin color.”

More than 110 MC² alum have returned to the hospital system to serve as nurses, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, radiology technologists, research nurses and lab scientists, social workers, medical interpreters, and more, officials said. The hope is that the program’s expansion will bolster the next generation of Colorado Springs health care workers — at Children’s Colorado and beyond.

“We believe the MC² program will help build a talented and compassionate workforce that will impact the southern Colorado region for decades to come,” Merritt said. “We’re super excited about it.”

Applications for the 2024-2025 MC² cohort must be submitted by March 6 at 5 p.m. The application, and more information about the program, can be found at chidrenscolorado.org.