Health care workers tell Alaska high school students many jobs don't need a four-year degree

Health care workers told Alaska high school students Monday that many jobs in their field don't require a four-year degree, at the first of this school year's monthly Lunch and Learn sessions.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development runs the series with Pathfinder Solutions. Other partners include the Department of Education, the University of Alaska system and employers, said Zach Stinson, Pathfinder's director. The next session will focus on construction and the one after that on mining, he said.

Pharmacist Maisie Hirschman said she spent seven to eight years in school, but phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, medical assistants and certified nursing assistants don't need a traditional four-year degree. Some certifications "can be completed in as little as about 6 to 12 weeks," she said.

Alaskans can get a pharmacy technician license at 16 without prior training, Hirschman said.

Army nurse Capt. Eliza Wheeler said she earned her certified nursing assistant credential in high school to find out whether she could handle the hands-on side of medicine.

Haley Abercrombie, a health information manager at Foundation Health Partners, said her employer offers apprenticeships and hires people with no health care experience, including people who previously worked at Walmart or Fred's.

Department staffer Sarah Doetschman said the Interior is "very, very in need of pharmacists." Staffer Demetria Veasy said the session drew the most participants the series has had, and that the Kenai Job Center "has a really great partnership with their school district for job shadowing opportunities."

Alaska needs more than 9,400 new health care workers a year, according to the Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association's 2025 workforce analysis. Hospital-based registered nurse positions have a vacancy rate of about 20%, according to an Alaska Department of Health workforce session summary from May.