Health Workforce
In rural northern New York, recruiting and retaining an adequate supply of healthcare professionals has long been a challenge for local providers. For years, FDRHPO has helped address this need through its longstanding Regional Recruitment Program.
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FDRHPO supports the healthcare workforce pipeline across the region by engaging students from early education through adulthood. We partner with K–12 schools, and collaborate with colleges, vocational programs, adult education centers, and healthcare organizations to help build a strong and sustainable healthcare workforce. Our work also includes reducing barriers for individuals entering healthcare careers by improving access to educational opportunities, providing case management support, and guiding individuals as they navigate licensure and certification requirements.
Since 2008 our regional Recruitment, Retention, and Education programs have:
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Supported over 73 individuals through the HCPP program
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Supported over 149 individuals through the Caring Gene Program
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Exposed 1,044 students with MASH Camp career exploration
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Provided more than 380 students with job shadow opportunities
Check out FDRHPO's Workforce Opportunities
Join Our Healthcare Community
Whether you are a student, medical professional, or behavioral health practitioner, we invite you to join our healthcare community. If you're ready to learn more and get started, learn from the image below how you can enter the North Country Health Careers Pipeline.
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As students progress through the pipeline, they can participate in job shadowing with local healthcare providers. Job shadowing offers meaningful opportunities to observe real-world healthcare roles and settings, explore potential career interests, and build relationships with professionals in the field. These opportunities are available to high school students as well as post-secondary students and adults.
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Why Choose the North Country?
No matter where you are, the north is always a symbol of guidance and consistency, because it sets the course for all other directions.
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When lost, one first looks to the north to find their way home.
Here in northern New York, we believe the same can be said about our healthcare system. Spanning Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, our “North Country” region is home to some of the finest medical professionals in the state, and we often see our work defining the work of other healthcare institutions across New York and even the United States.
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Starting from the northwest on the picturesque waterfront of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, our region stretches southeast across the rolling landscape of the Tug Hill Plateau and into the rugged beauty of the Adirondack Mountains. Scattered throughout the three-county area are small waterways perfect for fishing and kayaking; forests for hiking, hunting and observing nature; and rural communities with friendly neighbors, historic buildings and safe schools for children.
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Also in our region lies Fort Drum, home to the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army. As a close-knit member of our community for more than 30 years, Fort Drum is home to roughly 19,000 soldiers and their families — many of whom receive their healthcare in the community.
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As a medical professional in the north country, you will have the opportunity to serve a diverse population and enjoy innovations that cannot be found elsewhere in the state, like our region’s robust health information network. You also may be eligible for financial incentives by working in a health professional shortage area.
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Overall, you will find that our region is on the forefront of healthcare transformation and advancement, making it an ideal setting for healthcare professionals to learn, grow and thrive. So, if you are looking for a career in healthcare and you’re not sure where to go… look north and find home.
