By Sarah Couture (Principal at Couture Consulting LLC in Indianapolis, IN.)

Originally Posted on: Compliance Cosmos

While many of us “fell” into compliance after years in other roles, a new generation of compliance professionals is doing something most of us did not: go to school to study compliance. There are undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs at a variety of universities offering a new generation of compliance professionals a more formal education than what was available for the first generation. While some of these offerings may seem new and different and will certainly keep evolving, they are likely the way that a substantial percentage of future compliance professionals will be trained and enter our compliance programs.

How should compliance programs and compliance professionals respond to compliance students? Our profession needs to invest in the next generation of those interested in healthcare compliance, including those who are in school pursuing compliance-related degrees. This will contribute to the successful evolution of what is still a relatively new profession. Investing in students may also help more seasoned compliance professionals grow and stretch in new ways as we interact with a new generation who may see issues, technology, and methods differently than we do. More immediately, this may help us find our next quality hire, further contributing to the effectiveness of our own compliance programs.

How to connect with and invest in compliance students may not be immediately obvious. Research which schools have graduate and undergraduate compliance degree programs and reach out and ask how you can get involved. There may be very practical ways you can be a resource for students or the programs. Be open to having interns in your compliance program. Not only is an internship an invaluable experience for the student, but it is also a great way to help a compliance program make progress on initiatives for which your team never seems to have enough time to complete. And that intern may be your next great hire! Consider exploring whether there are opportunities to teach and lend your expertise to one of the degree programs. Be willing to mentor compliance students and new graduates, including helping them find their path and first compliance position.

It will take intentionality to invest in the next generation, but there will be payoff for the profession, for your compliance program, and for you and the students with whom you interact.

Copyright 2024 Compliance Today, a publication of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)