IU Health High School Fellowship with Indianapolis Public Schools

At any given time, Indiana University Health has approximately 600 open positions at its downtown hospitals, and people of color, particularly the Black community, are underrepresented in nearly all health care occupations. The IU Health High School Fellowship, a partnership between IU Health, Indiana Public Schools, local higher education institutions, and community leaders to ensure students graduate with the skills needed to obtain health care jobs.

The organizations developed a three-year health care-focused high school curriculum that provides fellows with the opportunity to earn five industry recognized certifications. Graduates of the fellowship are guaranteed a job offer from IU Health and encouraged to continue postsecondary education. Seventy-six students of color are enrolled in the program across three cohorts; the first cohort of fellows will graduate in 2024, and 100 percent of them had a 3.00 GPA or higher in the 2022–23 school year. Eight fellows in the first graduating cohort are in the top ten of their high school class, and all students in the first and second cohorts earned work-based learning experiences.