HealthForce Minnesota Partner News
- A Message from Judith Ramaley and Jane Foote
- Mobile Science Lab
- Grant Recipients Announced
- Lean Health Initiative grant
- Simulation Education Gains National Exposure
- Department of Labor Grant Advances Workforce Development Efforts
- Strengthening Partnerships While Meeting Continuous Improvement Needs
- Minnesota's Future Doctors
A Message from Judith Ramaley and Jane Foote
Judith Ramaley
President
Winona State University
As Jane Foote and I write this message together, a phrase keeps floating through my mind: “May you live in interesting times.” I could not resist the temptation to find the origins of the phrase and the interpretation of its meaning. I learned it is supposed to be an ancient Chinese curse, the first of three escalating curses of increasing severity. The other two more serious imprecations are:
- May you come to the attention of those in authority, and
- May you find what you are looking for.
Although these are supposed to be terrible curses, it seems to me that each one carries a very different kind of message in our times. Never mind that there is absolutely no evidence that any of this really comes from ancient Chinese.
My favorite cyber-finding is a quotation from a science fiction piece called “U-turn” that says, “For centuries the Chinese used an ancient curse: ‘May you live in interesting times!’ It isn’t a curse any more. It’s a blessing.” And so are the other more severe curses.
We have received an encouraging report on HealthForce Minnesota’s progress from our evaluation consultant, Wilder Associates and have come to the attention of those in authority, our Board of Trustees and the leadership of our partner institutions. We most certainly are finding what we are looking for on our journey to have: (1) a healthcare industry with a well-trained, flexible workforce; (2) the capacity to transform health science education and delivery; and (3) the ability to position Minnesota as a global leader in healthcare education, practice, research and innovation.
Jane Foote
Executive Director
HealthForce Minnesota
The Center of Excellence is ending its fourth year of operation on a high note with a doubling of its industry and educational partners in the last 18 months and clear outcomes from our project investments. Over the past months our partners have shared with us their stories of recent layoffs, poor return on investments and a future that appears to indicate high demand for their services from an aging population in our state. Even in the face of adversity, our partners continue to paint a picture of strong commitment to our community’s health and a growing concern for the future of the workforce that will provide high-quality care to Minnesotans.
Recently a group of 20 healthcare stakeholders were convened by HealthForce Minnesota and HEIP. They validated that the healthcare workforce is a priority in Minnesota. The diverse group included providers, educators, state agencies, professional associations, and others who all share a passion for healthcare in our state. They worked together to create a new vision for our future healthcare workforce. That vision includes action words such as analyzes, invests, collaborates, and responds. It requires using data to drive our decisions on how to build program capacity. The plan focuses on trying innovative solutions as well as making strategic investments to help us create a bright future for our healthcare system.
I left those stakeholder meetings with a renewed energy to tackle our complex healthcare problems. By coming together we can present to our citizens, policy makers and other leaders a united plan for action that will keep Minnesota at the forefront of healthcare delivery. This is challenging and difficult work. But working together we can continue to transform education and advance practice.
Mobile Science Lab Rolls into Community Classrooms
When you see the Mobile Science Lab rolling into your town you’ll know its providing necessary molecular science instruments and supplies to trained teachers. The Southeast Service Cooperative (SSC) in partnership with Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Area Math Science Partnership was funded by HealthForce Minnesota to develop and coordinate the Mobile Science Lab to further expand this service throughout Minnesota.
Each year for one week in June, science teachers from across the state are trained in molecular science at the Mayo Clinic Educator Academy to integrate the latest practices and procedures into their school curriculum. Teachers schedule the Mobile Science Lab for delivery to their schools to implement the one-week molecular labs.
This past quarter, six high schools taught students about some of the latest molecular methods such as BioRad pGLO system, DNA necklace, mitochondrial DNA purification, PCR, subcloning, DNA sequencing and genetically modified organisms (GMO). Teachers also receive quarterly follow-up meetings to collaborate, review and learn additional hands-on techniques.
The SSC ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mobile Science Lab was held at the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Summit in Rochester this past fall. For additional information on the Mobile Science Lab Program, please contact Any Grover (507) 251-7410, agrover@ssc.coop
Grant Recipients Announced
Earlier this year abstract proposals were submitted for one-time grant money through the Moving Experience Forward Grant process. After review, three proposals received awards from HealthForce Minnesota. Grant recipients are:
- Critical Care Registered Nursing from Winona State University (WSU). They will be advancing their curriculum to an on-line format to serve greater Minnesota communities. This includes transitioning the offering of the course to the Outreach and Continuing Education Department at WSU. This project has received student outcomes that exceed national pass rates in the preparation of Critical Care RNs for the national certification. Grant Award: $22,500.
- Simulation in Nursing from Rochester Community and Technical College and Winona State University-Rochester. Eight digital cameras will be incorporated into the METI lab teaching and learning environment to reach a broader health care community and provide students with “real time” feedback on the simulation experiences. Grant Award: $30,000 (leveraged amount $14,500).
- Leadership in Long-term Care from Winona State University. Leaders will be expanding the on-site leadership course to include 60 additional incumbent workers in long-term care plus they will reach out to employees of several employers in the Rochester area. Grant Award: $40,920 (leveraged amount $6,650).
Congratulations to all the recipients, and continued innovation and learning as you deliver the next phase of your work to our communities!
Lean Health Initiative grant
Fosston, Minn, December 29, 2008 - An initiative to make Minnesota hospitals more efficient is spreading across the state. It's called Lean Health, and it uses some of the same concepts employed at companies like Marvin Windows and Arctic Cat, to streamline their assembly line production. Hospitals say the assembly line efficiency model is working for healthcare.
The first Lean Health Initiative grant from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development was awarded in 2004.
Simulation Education Gains National Exposure
It is Thursday on the Winona State University-Rochester campus and Linda is hard at work instructing her third year nursing students on how to treat a baby ill with any number of ailments. She introduces them to baby Chris who lay on the bed with labored breathing and signs of listlessness. She invites each student to approach the baby and administer medication intravenously. If the students err, it could mean cardiac arrest or even death for baby Chris.
Fortunately, baby Chris is not a real baby. She is a simulated baby. And she provides nursing students at Winona State University-Rochester with the hands-on training needed to be the most effective they can be when they enter the workforce.
Medical simulation is transforming healthcare education in Minnesota. Through a partnership between HealthForce Minnesota and the Minnesota Simulation Alliance, simulation education opportunities are expected to expand and grow statewide.
HealthForce Minnesota will invest more than $80,000 in nursing curriculum simulation next year. The organization has awarded these monies to Winona State University-Rochester’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Rochester Community and Technical College Department of Nursing.
Recently, HealthForce Minnesota offered a Simulation Alliance Conference for leading nurse educators from across the state to learn best practices and collaborate with educators, partner institutions and the Minnesota Simulation Alliance.
Simulation techniques are being used in nearly all healthcare disciplines nationwide. Techniques include simulated and virtual patients, mannequin simulators, task-trainers and computers. Advances in education in medicine, surgery, nursing, allied health and other domains in healthcare can be attributed to simulation.
According to the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, simulation has the potential for the evolution of a new teaching paradigm for the new millennium. These techniques do not depend on hospital encounters and can be re-run, stopped, or otherwise altered to enhance educational value. This was illustrated and gained national attention this year when the television show Grey’s Anatomy used an adult MEDI simulator in a story line.
Few argue the positive impacts of medical simulation in healthcare education, but many struggle to meet its costs.
Jane Foote, executive director of HealthForce Minnesota, is pleased to have a hand in offsetting these costs for the state’s higher education institutions.
“By leveraging partnerships and resources, we will continue to make progress in this much needed transformation of our current healthcare system. We can do much together to help meet the workforce and educational needs of our very complex and challenging system,” Foote said.
For more information on medical simulation or HealthForce Minnesota, please contact Dan Olson, director of Marketing, Communications & Healthcare Industry Partnership at HealthForce Minnesota at ddolson@winona.edu or (507) 458-1891.
Department of Labor Grant Advances Workforce Development Efforts
Medical laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory scientists are in high demand in the state of Minnesota. In 2005, it was projected that 2000 new hires will be needed by 2015 in order to accommodate growth and retirement attrition.
Made possible by the federal Department of Labor's Community-Based Job Training Grants Initiative, St. Paul College has joined with MnSCU consortium partners such as HealthForce Minnesota and Healthcare Education - Industry Partnership, Allina Hospital & Clinics, Winona State University, and the University of Minnesota to facilitate career advancement through the restoration of two to four-year program articulation, fast track options, e-learning, Clinical Site Coordination, and laboratory expansion strategies.
"This collaborative effort will expand capacity to provide the maximum number of students clinical coordination of clinical sites," said Dan Olson, director of Marketing, Communications and Healthcare Industry Partnerships. "As a clinical laboratory scientist, I've seen the workforce shortage that we are already facing and know the importance of this grant for our future."
During the grant period, the goal is to double technician and scientist enrollment and to expand enrollment of students who are currently underrepresented in the healthcare field, such as immigrants, minorities, and dislocated workers.
"We will continue our outreach to the K-16 community so students are better educated and knowledgeable of the opportunities available to them in this field," Olson said.
As a result of this grant, that called for the partnering of healthcare and Minnesota state colleges and universities, St. Paul College will receive leveraged funds from industry partners totaling $1,188,500, bringing the project total to $3,187,354.
Strengthening Partnerships While Meeting Continuous Improvement Needs
Coalition for Continuous Improvement in Healthcare
The Coalition for Continuous Improvement in Healthcare (CCIH) has a vision to be nationally recognized as a preferred educational provider for continuous improvement in healthcare. Now, the members of CCIH celebrate the relationship they‘ve developed with HealthForce Minnesota in expanding that vision. Not only will CCIH be recognized for education, but also for forming an alliance of MnSCU educational facilities working together to service all healthcare customers.
CCIH was founded by four MnSCU institutions (Alexandria Technical College, Itasca Community College, Northland Community & Technical College and Winona State University) to pilot a model, using the joint capacity, standardized curriculum and knowledge of several MnSCU organizations to meet continuous improvement needs for healthcare across Minnesota.
Minnesota is a large state, so why cant we utilize what we have, based on expertise, not geography?” stated Connie Troska, CCIH coordinator. “We’re looking for a model in which several educational facilities can all play together in the sandbox.’ We want to utilize the strengths that we have throughout the state. If a healthcare facility in central Minnesota needs our continuous improvement services, we want to work together, not create boundaries.”
HealthForce Minnesota has the same vision in mind. Through a HealthForce Minnesota Grant, CCIH will build the model of working together, celebrating the successes, facing the challenges, and building on the opportunities. “I’m really excited about this partnership,” states Troska. “I like the idea of educational institutions from all areas of the state building this model. I think it will be an excellent foundation for other areas to work together.”
CCIH has base training modules for Continuous Improvement in Healthcare. Each module was co-created by Coalition instructors. Much discussion was held around the successes and challenges faced by each instructor. “They have built relationships that go beyond the Coalition,” said Troska. “They support each other with new ideas, and innovative instructor skills. They’ve built friendships.”
The Coalition created a repository for the training modules, case studies, training exercises, and customized applications for different populations. An instructor in northern Minnesota can log in and utilize the same material that an instructor in southern Minnesota uses. It creates a standardized training, that Coalition members use successfully.
As the repository enters it’s final stages of development, more focus is being placed on the business model for expansion to other MnSCU partners and healthcare providers to become members of the Coalition. “We have taken the guess work out of how to implement Continuous Improvement Training,” Troska stated. “Those that become partners will have access to the same training modules that the core trainers have. We continue to find ways to improve our pilot model, and look forward to working with others in our own journey of continuous improvement.’ We really want to work from a framework of collaboration, not competition, and we see so much potential in what we have already envisioned.”
The Coalition will introduce the CCIH Repository and the modules to Coalition supporters at a “Go Live” event on January 15, 2009. The event will take place on the Alexandria Technical College campus in Alexandria, MN. For more information, contact Connie Troska, CCIH coordinator at connie.troska@northlandcollege.edu or by phone at 218-686-8738.
“Our vision, along with the partnership with HealthForce Minnesota, has really created excitement among the Coalition, other educational organizations, and healthcare facilities,” Troska stated. “We look forward to the whole experience.”
Minnesota's Future Doctors
The goal of the Minnesota's Future Doctors program is to develop the pre-med skills of underrepresented minority and rural college undergrads in Minnesota. This opportunity is available to college freshmen and sophomores interested in medical school in Minnesota.
Three Free, Paid Summers
Minnesota's Future Doctors develops the skills of selected scholars over three years. Minnesota's Future Doctors includes three, free paid summer internships filled with academic enrichment, shadowing physicians, understanding health care in underserved communities, volunteering, and preparing for medical school. The program is supported by the University of Minnesota Medical Schools, with campuses in Duluth and Minneapolis, and the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota.
Program Features
- Here are some of experiences you’ll gain through this Minnesota’s Future program:
- Explore the lives of doctors and medical students
- Understand medical school
- See the clinic experience from professionals' point of view
- Learn about college enrichment classes
- Be exposed to service projects and volunteering
- Meet new, smart friends
- Encounter brilliant mentors
- Learn to use medical school electronic portfolios
- Volunteer in premier health care facilities
Applicants
Minnesotans, who are studying at community colleges, state universities, the U of M campuses, private colleges, and campuses outside of Minnesota are encouraged to view our program information at the unofficial student-managed web site www.mnfuturedocs.com.
Next Steps for Interested Students
- Go to www.mnfuturedocs.com.
- Click on Elk Cohort to learn more.
- Email your questions to Dame – a Future Doc scholar at idoss002@umn.edu.
- Start working on your application and gather materials in December 2008.
- Submit your application and reference online by February 1, 2009.
- A team of 70 doctors, Future Doc scholars and med students will make selections and notify students by March 5, 2009.