|
Introduction
In rural Minnesota, health care worker shortages can mean longer drives and longer wait times for appointments. For some rural residents, this additional barrier means they might not receive needed care. With many areas already experiencing workforce strain—job vacancies are trending up and many current providers are preparing to retire—there is concern that workforce gaps could worsen in coming years (Minnesota Department of Health, 2023). One strategy to address these gaps involves intervening early on—before our future healthcare workers have even completed high school. These “early exposure” initiatives engage K-12 students with the goal of providing opportunities for career exploration and making sure students have resources, mentorship, and support should they choose to pursue a career in healthcare. As interest in these types of efforts has grown, several critical access hospitals and health systems across the state have developed educational programs aimed at accomplishing these goals. This series explores some of these programs and highlights the work being done across Minnesota to build a sustainable future workforce.
Aspire by Sanford
For decades, Sanford Health hospitals have offered internships and part time jobs to youth interested in health care. These efforts fit into a broad workforce development strategy aimed at providing opportunities for K-12 students to learn about and engage with health careers. Early exposure workforce approaches like this have backing. According to the article “Factors Associated with Health Care Professionals’ Choice to Practice in Rural Minnesota” the most important factor in choosing rural practice is if an individual grew up in a rural area (Fritsma, PhD, et al., 2023; Laven & Wilkinson, 2003). If students in rural areas decide to pursue health care careers, they are more likely than their peers to ultimately work in rural communities.
In recent years, Sanford decided to prioritize these types of career exploration opportunities system-wide and created Aspire by Sanford. Aspire is a youth engagement program offered across the Sanford footprint which aims to increase awareness of and interest in health care careers among students. This is done in partnership with local school districts and involves a range of offerings from health professionals visiting classrooms to internships and scholarship opportunities. Through Aspire’s MedX program, students can participate in one-time, hands-on activities exposing them to topics such as: respiratory therapy, nursing, airmed and paramedic, surgery, behavioral health, and many more career fields. Other options offer students the ability to build relationships with long-term care residents as volunteers, gain research experience through summer programs, and receive guidance from certified career development coaches.
To reach busy students amidst sports, clubs, jobs, and other commitments, Aspire offers many different and flexible programs. This allows students to choose when and how they engage. Additionally, Aspire works to make programs accessible. Opportunities are designed and available in rural areas, so students do not need to drive great distances to gain exposures to these types of activities. Many programs are offered at no cost to participants.
Leah Fisher is the lead career development consultant for Aspire and assists students in developing their interests through career exploration. Coming from a small town, Fisher understands the value of programs like Aspire which have not always been available for rural students. Their value can already be seen in Sanford communities. Over the past decade, Sanford Health has seen significant numbers of Aspire participants progressing into internships and then into full-time jobs. Already, there are numerous Sanford employees who participated in Aspire—or its precursor programs—and are now back, working in rural communities across Minnesota and South Dakota.
Aspire programs are strengthened through school district partnerships. Denise Clouse is a community liaison with Sanford Tracy and Westbrook, two communities in which the hospitals and schools have long standing partnerships. Clouse works closely with educators and administrators. She aims to understand what the schools are already doing and to make sure Aspire can complement existing efforts. She also works to build awareness about Aspire’s offerings. School counselors are instrumental in this—they know which students may benefit most from these programs. In some cases, the schools are also able to help with transportation, which makes programs even more accessible. Working in small communities means that these relationships go beyond professional collaboration. “We know each other personally,” Clouse shared, “we watch the kids grow up.”
Aspire is in its third year. While the program is already showing success, Sanford Health communities are just beginning to see the return on investment. If Aspire continues to inspire students to pursue health career training, these students are likely to keep coming back.
According to Fisher, the main vision of Aspire is “to see that return on investment, to keep seeing students come back (to work in their communities), and to support these kids along their journey.” With more health care workers needed in many rural communities, this type of vision has the potential to fill service gaps and contribute to a sustainable workforce in rural Minnesota.
To learn more about Aspire by Sanford, contact Leah.Fisher@SanfordHealth.org
References
Fritsma T, Henning-Smith C, Gauer JL, Khan F, Rosenberg ME, Clark K, Sopdie E, Sechler A, Sundberg MA, Olson APJ. Factors Associated With Health Care Professionals' Choice to Practice in Rural Minnesota. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2310332. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.10332. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37140925/
Laven G, Wilkinson D. Rural doctors and rural backgrounds: how strong is the evidence? A systematic review. Aust J Rural Health. 2003 Dec;11(6):277-84. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2003.00534.x. PMID: 14678410. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14678410/
Minnesota Department of Health. (2023). Rural Health Care in Minnesota: Data Highlights, Updated 2023. Retrieved from Minnesota Department of Health: https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/docs/summaries/rhcmn.pdf
|
