Though the name on the building has changed, much remains the same at the local hospital, including its long habit of stepping in when our area needs it. One of those needs is the future: who will care for local residents as the population ages and the healthcare workforce continues to thin out?
Aspirus Lake View is taking that question seriously. This winter, the hospital is launching two programs aimed at building the next generation of healthcare workers. The first is a free, hands-on Scrubs Camp for middle schoolers. The second is a state-funded CNA training program for older teens and adults who want to enter the field or return to it later in life.
“We’re really investing in getting people into health care at all ages at the same time,” said Rachel Gischia, the hospital’s Community Outreach and Emergency Preparedness manager.
The idea for hosting a Middle School Scrubs Camp locally began with Wilderness Health, which approached Aspirus Lake View Hospital as a strong site for the program. Wilderness Health is a coalition of nine rural hospitals in the region that formed to advance rural health. Its members include hospitals in Ely, Bloomington, North Shore Health, and Aspirus St. Luke’s, along with several others that share similar challenges and goals.
“One of their project is increasing the healthcare workforce to respond to the increase in demand as our population ages,” said Gischia.
“One of their strategies is to spark interest in the middle school age group and give them a little exposure, talk to them about how they can think about a health care career, even at that young of an age.”
The day-long event will be held on Friday, February 20, from 9:00 AM to 4 PM and is free to students. The program will accept the first 15 students who register. Those students will rotate through larger group sessions and smaller breakout sessions throughout the day, giving them a chance to explore several different areas of care.
The topics are varied and wide, and students will have the opportunity to learn about occupational and physical therapy, nursing for aging services, dentistry, EMT, and radiology. Each session is designed to be hands-on, allowing students to try equipment, ask questions, and see what real work in these fields looks like.
“We’ve got some great local partners spending the day with us,” said Gischia, who noted that the event is staffed by Aspirus Lake View along with the local Veterans Home, Monarch Nursing Home, Lake Superior Dental, and Lake Superior Ambulance. Their participation gives students a chance to meet professionals who live and work in the same communities the students call home.
The event is sponsored by the Lakeview Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation, a grant from the Applied Learning Institute, the Lake Superior Perkins Consortium, the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, and others who support early exposure to healthcare careers.
Transportation will be provided from William Kelley School to the camp. Registrants will need to select “Transportation” when signing up using the QR code (shown below) or by emailing barbarajackson@wildernesshealthmn.org. Registration closes February 9.
“Our staff is excited about it,” said Gischia. “We have a great location here with our new conference room and just the fact that we have the ambulance, dentist, the nursing home, the hospital, the clinic, the lab, the radiology, the pharmacy, we started infusion and chemotherapy. They can see all kinds of different types of nursing, and then the rehab side of it too. I think it’s a really nice place for young people to learn about health care.”
Those same attributes make the new CNA Training Program especially promising. The program is open to participants ages 17 and older and grew out of a conversation between the hospital’s president, Greg Ruberg, and Representative Natalie Zeleznikar.
“She’s really passionate about health care,” explained Gischia.
Aspirus Lake View secured a $40,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to cover all costs for participants to complete their nurse aide training. The funding removes a major barrier for those who want to enter the field but cannot afford tuition or testing fees.
The course lasts six months or less and includes one free testing opportunity. The program will offer two cohorts, one in the winter and spring, and a second in the spring and summer. All CNA students must agree to work at least eight hours a week at Aspirus Lake View Hospital as an intern, giving them immediate experience and a direct connection to the workforce they may eventually join.
“We anticipate that some of the participants will be juniors or seniors in high school that are interested in nursing or a healthcare career, or maybe somebody who wants to go back for a second career later in life, or maybe they graduated a couple of years ago, and they’re still kind of looking for that next thing,” said Gischia.
Those interested in the CNA program can reach out directly to Gischia at (218) 834-8761 or Rachel. Gischia@aspirus.org.
“I think we’re doing a really great job of community outreach,” said Gischia. “I think these are just a couple things that show that we’re still working hard.”
The hospital hopes these programs will help build a stronger and more prepared healthcare workforce for years to come.
