EXPANDING
ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO
HEALTHCARE STUDENTS
National Entrepreneurship Education Forum
Cincinnati, OH
November 7, 2011
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
MALINDA!!
Overview of Today’s Presentation
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
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 enterprises
Presence in 94 of North Carolina’s 100 counties including:
50- K-12 Schools
57- 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.”
Application
Experience
Expansion
Reflection
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 Todd
Associate Director
3739 National Drive,
Suite 110
Raleigh, NC 27612
919-781-6833 ext.126
malinda@ncreal.org
Shannon Gallagher
Eastern Coordinator
3739 National Drive,
Suite 110
Raleigh, NC 27612
919-448-8015
shannon@ncreal.org