HealthForce Minnesota Partner News
Summer Greetings from HealthForce Minnesota!
Before the bustle of fall is here, we offer you this summer edition of IMPACT to update you on the Center of Excellence in Healthcare. Much has been happening with HealthForce Minnesota and in the state!
Our camps for middle school age students, Health Career Day Camp, located in Mankato and Rochester had great attendance and allowed over 100 students to learn about health careers. Scrubs Camp, our high school camp, almost doubled in size this year with over 112 students attending and with more than 70 scholarships given by our industry partners!
Many thanks to those partners who provided speakers, funding and expertise allowing these camps to provide exceptional quality and value. Together we have changed lives!
This year in Rochester we also offered an Adult Scrubs Camp that was patterned after the student summer camp programs. This creative approach to workforce development designed to expose adults to a variety of health careers engaged 89 adults. During the three-day camp we received comments like this one from participants. "I liked how the teachers had real life experience in this field and related to us. I was completely confused...this was very helpful and took away a lot of my fears. I loved how we had a variety of choices to choose from; it helped me be able to compare two careers I was considering."
Last month HealthForce Minnesota began refining our focus by using our state funding to leverage grants and federal stimulus monies. There is much to be done in healthcare education and practice. Together we will work to leverage resources and link partnerships that create sustainable innovation. We look forward to another year of learning lessons and stepping into the future.
Sincerely,
Jane Foote, Executive Director, Healthforce Minnesota
Serving up Summer Fun with a Twist
Students didn't experience the usual Minnesota 'dog days of summer' in July when they attended the healthcare career camps hosted by HealthForce Minnesota at Winona State University (WSU). The temperatures weren't sweltering and the students quickly discovered there wasn't much time to relax. They were up early each day with a full class schedule, much like a regular college student.
At Scrubs Camp students started their days with a choice between yoga, tai chi and self-defense before rounds of interactive classes in simulation, imaging, nursing and many others. There was plenty of outdoor fun and learning about Native American medicinal plants and jungle medicine, community building, and free time mixed in with hospital and clinic tours and hands-on learning experiences.
The knowledge and insight provided by five returning high school junior and seniors who served as trained peer leaders was new this year to Scrubs Camp. Sara Paradise, a trainer in Electronic Health Records at Hennepin County Medical Center and who has aspirations of becoming a doctor, volunteered her time because of her excitement for the program. "I think that it is really important for kids who are drawn to the sciences to be aware of all their different options so they don't start down a track they aren't really passionate about," said Paradise. "This camp gives them that broad exposure."
Even budding journalists benefited from Scrubs Camp. WSU Mass Communication students in professor Tom Grier's summer class also interviewed Scrubs Camp students as part of an assignment. "It was good experience for students on both sides of the page," said Grier. "WSU journalism students were able to sharpen their interviewing and writing skills, and camp participants had the opportunity to think deeply about what they were experiencing and then put it into words. Plus, the campers had an inside of what it takes to put a journalism piece together."
The popularity of the two Health Career Day Camps and Scrubs Camp increased considerably this year. Scrubs Camp attendance gains were significant, 112 compared to 66 students, with a lengthy wait list.
Instant Chemistry - Volunteer and Scrubs Camp
A brochure handed out at a Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) staff meeting led Sara Paradise to a fun and fulfilling week at Scrubs Camp. "I instantly knew it was something I'd love to be a part of (and I was too old to be a camper...!), so I e-mailed the coordinator right after our meeting to see if they might need volunteers," she said.
Part of what inspired Paradise to volunteer is her belief that “it is really important for kids who are drawn to the sciences to be aware of all the different options,” something she said she did not experience during her high school days. “After four years of intense preparation for medical school, I now realize how nice it would've been to have something earlier on to guide me, since early planning is so key to getting into some of the more competitive programs,” Paradise continued. “This camp gives students that broad exposure.”
Paradise noted that students seemed to especially enjoy the hands-on activities the most. Students amplified their own DNA during the DNA in Action course, they typed their blood in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, and they wore gowns and practiced suturing techniques on foam pads during the Surgical Skills workshops.
The diversity of the camp sessions may be surprising to partners. “Students intubated dummy patients, developed slings out of cloth, made brains out of clay, toured hospitals, spoke to nurse anesthetists and so much more,” according to Paradise. “I think by allowing them to ‘do’ rather than just watch it became real and exciting.”
While most students came to the camp unsure of their career direction, Paradise was surprised that by the end of camp most students seemed to be interested in other areas of medicine besides being a physician, such as research or nursing. “I was so used to college, where everyone seems to be ‘pre-med.’ I think that is the beauty of being young; you can be driven by what you like rather than choosing something because you feel it's a safer track or that you have no options other than a four-year degree program,” she said. Paradise’s advice to students is to choose a career that fits one’s unique personality and strengths.
Scrubs Camp may influence students to pursue a career in the healthcare industry the same way that The Future Physician class impacted Paradise when she was a freshman at the University of Minnesota. That class led her on a path that continually involves new opportunities to learn and grow in the medical field. Paradise has volunteered at the children’s playroom at the University hospital, coordinated workshops in the Medical Education office and has volunteered at a Latino youth clinic. Since graduating in May 2008 with a Spanish degree, Paradise has worked at HCMC as an Anatomy teaching assistant, does research on trauma patients in the ER, and supports physicians and nurses throughout the hospital as an Electronic Medical Records trainer.
“HCMC (sponsor for six Scrubs Camp students) has been a perfect fit for me. The doctors work with a very difficult patient population, as most are foreign, uneducated, uninsured, or a combination of all three,” she said. “This continues to motivate me as I will re-apply to medical school next summer and hope to end up back at HCMC as a physician someday.”
Career Exploration for Middle School Students
Health Career Day Camp Opens Up Possibilities
It's not common for middle school students to prepare for life tomorrow let alone after high school. However, Health Career Day Camp, a collaborative effort by HealthForce Minnesota, Rochester Public Schools, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center, and Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC), presented sixth through eighth graders the rare and exciting opportunity of exploring career options in the healthcare field.
The 66 students participated in many hands-on activities to learn about careers in clinical laboratory sciences, nursing, emergency medical, pharmacy, hypnosis, yoga, dental, surgical tech, veterinarian tech, anatomy in clay, imaging, PT/OT/RT, anesthesiology, and more. The students also toured the Olmsted Medical Center and RCTC.
Students delved into 16 interesting sessions and received a pair of scrubs. Scholarships were available for any student who showed need. Most of the students who attended the camp were from Rochester and surrounding communities.
Never Too Old for Camp
Adult Scrubs Camp is "a chance for anyone 18 years or older to roll up their sleeves and experience different health occupations," said Jamie Groth, Business Solutions Coordinator for Winona State University (WSU). Adults attending the first Adult Scrubs Camp came away with a renewed enthusiasm for their careers and insight into the options and opportunities available in the field. Coming at a time when many people are rethinking their careers, the free camp hosted 89 participants with a long wait list.
Most of the camp’s participants were unemployed and displaced workers with the predominant age group between 35 and 45. Students quickly learned that career options within healthcare go well beyond being doctors and nurses. “The three-day camp offered an immersion experience where participants networked with professionals and did actual skills-practice simulation in many fields,” Groth explained. “Dentistry, medical records, alternative healing, nursing, pharmacy and clinical laboratory sciences were some of the workshops offered.
“The hands-on and simulation sessions were popular. Participants took vitals and provided other care to some very advanced, high-tech simulated adults and infants.”
Students also attended general career change and readiness sessions and received information about the many healthcare career resources available to them through educational institutions and workforce development agencies.
"There are going to be lots and lots of vacant seats (in the healthcare industry) and this is a great time for people to return to school and begin learning a new career,” said Jane Foote, executive director for Healthforce Minnesota.
Comments from participants were very favorable and illustrated the ongoing need for such assistance. Several participants commented on how the camp made going back to school approachable for them while showing people that healthcare should be thought of as a very broad field that can use people with many career desires and skills.
Following are just two of the post-camp written comments:
“I attended to support my husband who has lost his job. It was very enlightening to see how excited the presenters were to be teaching. I learned my LPN (career) is not a dead-end, but a door opener to another career. I wanted to go back to school, but have been afraid I didn't know how to do it. Now I have ideas thanks to this camp.”
“I learned what I do not want to do as well as what I do want to do. This was a valuable program for someone like me: 55 years old and questioning my future in the healthcare industry.
Adult Scrubs Camp was held on the WSU-Rochester campus. WSU Outreach and Continuing Education partnered with HealthForce Minnesota, Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) and Workforce Development Inc. (WDI) to put American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to use for healthcare career exploration. WDI granted the federal funds to the project and sent referrals, RCTC helped to host the camp, HealthForce Minnesota assembled the presenters and curriculum, and WSU handled registrations and marketing.
Any partners interested in participating in future Adult Scrub Camps should contact HealthForce Minnesota. Consider offering assistance by presenting new topics about more healthcare fields.
Success of First Mobile Science Lab Leads to Necessity of Second Trailer
The Mobile Science Lab through the Southeast Service Cooperative (SSC) has been so successful that a second trailer is needed to accommodate more teachers and students. Launched into service in January 2009, the Mobile Science Lab served 421 students in seven school districts through May.
Teachers who have trained as part of the Mayo Clinic Educators Academies can rent the trailer. Each year about 27 new teachers complete the graduate courses. When a second trailer is available, it will accommodate more students and assist more teachers. A trailer outfitted with supplies and equipment serves approximately 750 students and 30 teachers throughout the school year in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
By providing this resource, the Mobile Science Lab allows students access to supplies and equipment they might not have otherwise. “The technology and advanced equipment allowed students access to supplies and knowledge not normally available at the high school level,” said one Winona teacher. “This is a wonderful opportunity for my students. It was a learning experience that gave my students a taste of what is emerging in science and education.”
Want to Learn More?
The Mayo Clinic developed the graduate education program during the summer months titled, “Mayo Clinic Teacher Academy: Molecular and You Back in High School” to expand molecular biology and genomics in high school classrooms. Educators interested in the Mayo Clinic Educator Academies graduate courses can contact Guy Finne at finne.guy@mayo.com.
“Policies and procedures are in place for teachers to reserve the trailer for a period that encompasses a full week of hands-on classroom usage,” said Amy Grover, Southeast Service Cooperative Program and Planning Manager. “A sliding scale fee based on student enrollment numbers was established. Membership in the Southeast Service Cooperative limits expenses, but the trailer rental is available to all other eligible teachers. By charging a minimal rental fee, the mobile science lab is a self-sustaining program, ensuring trailer availability for years to come.”
SSC is looking for grant sources for the second trailer. If you are aware of sponsorship or funding considerations, please contact Guy Finne at finne.guy@mayo.com.
Simulation Truck
Editor's Note: One of the new activities at Scrubs Camp this year was the introduction of simulation training technology to student campers, health professionals and the community. All were invited to view the mobile simulation lab and learn about the new, state-of-the-art training facility. Ron Flannigan from Ridgewater College demonstrated the advanced simulation techniques, offering all types of training and simulation scenarios. Winona State University Mass Comm students, Chad Edel and Michael Henderson, wrote a story and excerpt that included information about the experience.
Chad Edel - "WSU Scrubs Camp"
"James Mohrhauser, age 15, is one of 112 high school students from around Minnesota scrubbing in this week as HealthForce Minnesota holds it second annual Scrubs Camp at Winona State University.
"Scrubs Camp, a summer enrichment program put on by HealthForce Minnesota, introduces high school students to potential careers in the health care field. The program primarily focuses on students who would be the first in their family to attend college."
Mohrhauser said he has a general interest in the medical field with a slight interest in becoming a heart surgeon.
"I have thought about being a heart surgeon because my dad had a heart problem." Mohrhauser said.
According to Jane Foote, executive director of HealthForce Minnesota, Scrubs Camp is about making connections with kids, faculty and professionals to get over whatever it is holding them back from finding their path.
"It’s about fulfilling kids dreams, doing what they like, making connections to the outside world," Foote said. "It’s a lot about connections and networking."
Scrubs Camp is a weeklong summer camp for students in grades 9–12. Students attend the camp from all over the state. The students sign up for a variety of classes and are able to have hands-on time with medical equipment and talk to professionals in various medical fields.
The program costs each student $350 for the week and scholarships are available. Included in the price are meals, housing in the dorms, materials for classroom use, a small backpack, and a set of purple scrubs.
Last year the program gave 26 scholarships to students who otherwise might not have been able to attend Scrubs Camp. The scholarships were donated by hospitals, long-term care associations, individuals, and medical centers. This year, 70 scholarships were awarded.
Mohrhauser has been looking forward to Scrubs Camp this summer since heard about the program.
“My parents heard about it from a friend and then they told me about it,” Mohrhauser said, “It really interests me, and is something I wanted to do over the summer.”
According to Foote, a few changes have been made to the program for its second year. Some of the changes came about through suggestions from a survey completed by students who attended the camp last summer.
Students spent a full day in Whitewater Sate Park this year learning wilderness medicine by wilderness medicine teams. A Native American herbalist took the students on a plant walk where they learned about how Native Americans use plant-based medicine for healing.
Students also took a day and traveled to La Crosse, Wis., where they visited two major medical centers, toured the facilities and talked to medical professionals.
Foote said during the first year, the camp offered a CPR certification course. That program was not offered to Scrubs Camp students this year.
“Last year we had 22 kids take the CPR class; they had to commit every afternoon because it is an eight hour course and only about half ended up passing the CPR test at the end,” Foote said. “Not because they weren’t academically able to do it, but just because they lost steam by that time in the afternoon they were tired.”
A new feature, a Sim Trailer from Ridgewater College visited Scrubs Camp this summer.
The Sim Trailer is a 64-foot semi truck trailer that is a mobile medical facility with high fidelity patient care mannequins. It is designed to be a triage center incase of a disaster. The semi truck would go to the site and serve as a command center. With Internet capabilities, the truck helps a medical team to serve a community in disaster.
Mohrhauser said he has had a great experience at Scrubs Camp.
“It has been really fun.” Mohrhauser said.
Michael Henderson - "Scrub In" (an excerpt)
"…Scrubs Camp offers fully functioning simulation mannequins that breathe, bleed and produce vital signs. This allows campers to get a feel for what it is like to perform care on patients.
"The simulations range from administering intravenous therapy, monitoring vital signs, and using many tools they might encounter in a career in medicine.
"Singh said he was excited to experience the simulation mannequins because his goal is to become a brain or heart surgeon.
"We have the chance to use the simulation with real mannequins that cough like real people," said Singh. "There is even a station involving delivering babies."
Advancing Healthcare Interests through Regional Incentive Grants
Regional Incentive Grants were first awarded this summer. Each recipient received $12,000 for the betterment of healthcare concerns.
- Pine Technical College (Pine City, MN) is partnering with over 13 organizations in central MN and western Wisconsin to advance a regional workforce needs assessment and educational plan.
- Vermillion Community College (Ely, MN) is generating a workforce needs assessment for the uppermost communities of northern Minnesota. The College will partner with healthcare providers and other regional campuses to deliver needed healthcare programs based on the results of the needs assessment.
- Lake Superior College (Duluth, MN) and Hibbing Community College (Hibbing, MN) will implement a jointly developed assessment tool to the two distinct regions they serve to determine workforce needs and program capacity in the healthcare fields.
- Winona High School (Winona, MN) will develop a health care program of study that is developed with local and regional health care providers, SE Technical College and Winona State University.
Congratulations!
New Online CCRN Certification Prep Course
Sign-Up for September Class
Eliminate travel time this fall by attending class entirely online. Winona State University (WSU) will offer the Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification prep course.
This self-paced program is specifically designed for registered nurses currently caring for adults in critical or progressive/acute nursing units and for those people seeking CCRN certification, CNEs or credit toward an RN-BSN degree. Students who complete the course will earn two university credits through the WSU College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Course content will be based on the current topic and certification blueprints established by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation. Coursework aims to improve practice and patient outcomes. Learning activities will address clinical judgment in eight major categories including cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, hematology/immunology, neurology, gastrointestinal, renal and multi-system.
Development of the online curriculum was supported by a grant from HealthForce Minnesota. To register, call 1-800-DIAL-WSU ext. 5083. For certification details, visit www.aacn.org.