Workforce: Creating Pathways

We are exposing more high school students to a vision of college and careers in health care, moving college students into part-time entry level health care jobs, and crafting a pathway to build a nursing workforce that looks more like our patients.

Scrubs Camp - Envisioning College and Health Care Careers

Both Augsburg and Saint Paul College Scrubs Camps were very successful in 2016. CCAP partners Fairview, Gillette Children’s, HealthEast, and Regions were actively involved, and all partners supported the camps.

C3 Fellows engaged in Saint Paul Scrubs Camp this year, assisting with camp activities and providing an informal mentoring opportunity for camp participants.

Augsburg Camp

69 participants attended the Augsburg Camp, 51% on scholarship. Approximately 80% of program participants were youth of color, and 44% came from Minneapolis or St. Paul. 19% of camp participants would be first generation college students, and 51% came from low income qualifying households.

Student comments:

“I am more driven to pursue a career in health, I’ve learned I really love healthcare!”

“This camp has made a huge impact in my life because looking at all the different health care fields is making me think about my future.”

“At first I was skeptical about coming, but now I really want to be in healthcare.”

Saint Paul College Camp

88 participants attended the Saint Paul College Camp, 45 (51%) of whom attended on a scholarship (89% diverse student scholarships). Approximately 64% of program participants were youth of color, and 54% came from Minneapolis or St. Paul. 18% would be first generation college students and 52% come from low income qualifying households.

Student comments:

“It showed me that I have someone there for me who wants me to succeed in life.”

“It opened my eyes more to the importance of the medical field, and the diverse careers available.”

“It has inspired me to pursue my dreams in the medical field.”

C3 Fellows - Gaining Relevant Experience

Currently, 190 C3 Fellows are working or volunteering in relevant positions, 182 in paid positions, and 8 in volunteer positions. There are 45 new applicants to the program. Fellows have received interviews at Regions Hospital, Fairview Health Services, HCMC, and HealthEast in the last month. Positions include: Nursing Station Technician, Nursing Assistant, Sterile Reprocessing, Environmental Services, Health Care Assistant, and Call Center Associate.

C3 Fellows is assisting in fall programming and career/job fairs at partner colleges. Partner employers attended Career Fairs at all partner campuses this fall. Fairview, HealthEast, and Regions have scheduled visits at MCTC and Saint Paul College. C3 Fellows has begun preparing for the Spring Healthcare Expo, tentatively scheduled for April at MCTC. 

C3 Fellows program leadership at MCTC has shifted to Dean of Health & Human Services Yvette Trotman. This alignment will allow for more seamless coordination and collaboration with program faculty, and will assist in seamlessly incorporating career readiness and employer recommended soft skills into the program. For more information: www.c3fellows.org.

Funding

Three grants were approved for C3 Fellows in 2016 to date: Saint Paul Foundation ($50,000), F.R. Bigelow Foundation ($50,000), and McKnight Foundation ($50,000).

An application to the Minneapolis Foundation is pending.

Nursing Initiative - Building BSN Diversity

The Nursing Initiative will support racially and ethnically diverse RN nurses from the Central Corridor to earn BSN degrees. Fewer persons of color obtain four year BSN degrees than two year RN degrees, and CCAP knows that the majority of health care job openings within the Central Corridor over the next five years will be for four year degree educated BSN nurses. Our health care partners know that patients respond better to health care service providers with shared cultural competency, and support this initiative to diversify their four year degree BSN workforce. 

Metropolitan State University is serving as lead academic partner responsible for primary RN to BSN degree program coordination, submitting grant applications on behalf of the partners, and management of the program funds for this collaborative effort. Active CCAP partners in the Nursing Initiative include MCTC, St. Kate’s, Saint Paul College, Augsburg, Regions, HealthEast, Gillette Children’s, and Fairview.

Lead partner Metro State and Partnership Counsel have worked together to submit seven applications for funding for the Nursing Initiative. Two applications have resulted in site visits, Otto Bremer Trust and F.R. Bigelow Foundation. Metro State RN to BSN faculty were involved in the site visits and provided helpful detail. Partners will continue to identify funding opportunities and further define Nursing Initiative program details.

Expanding and Strengthening our Local Nursing Workforce

Minneapolis College President Sharon Pierce

With a dozen years as a practicing nurse and twenty more years in nursing education, I bring a strong awareness of our challenges in health care to my new role as President of Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

While I am new to the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership, I am impressed with the Partnership’s commitment to embracing our health care challenges, and I fully share in the commitment to a vision of a more diverse workforce that reflects the community in which our anchor institutions thrive.  Having met with several of the Partnership’s leaders, I can already tell that we are working together on the right issues, at the right time, and in the right place.

At MCTC, we share a passion for

engaging students individually in planning their futures and careers, and connecting with the wider community of employers and education partners to help our students achieve their goals.

This Anchor Update highlights an MCTC student whose story causes us to reflect on the power of career pathways in helping students achieve their goals. Mursal Omar fled war-torn Somalia with his family as a political refugee, and eventually resettled in Minnesota. When Mursal made his way to MCTC, he found himself in the right place at the right time – he is finally able to think about his future.  Mursal’s transition invites us to think about the transformative power of career pathways support. C3 Fellows connected Omar to a network of professionals and is helping him achieve his goals, as this Partnership has done for many others at different stages of career exploration and job placement.

  I look forward to creating many more such inspiring stories in our work together.

C3 Fellow Profile - Mursal Omar

C3 Fellow Mursal Omar

Mursal Omar grew up as an avid reader.  His curious mind sought information everywhere.  With no TV at home in the early 1980s in Somalia, Omar found comfort in the words of Maya Angelou and Aldous Huxley.  Those authors spoke of bravery, perseverance, and a dedication to making society better. 

Finding Guidance through C3 Fellows

During his first year as a nursing student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Omar was introduced to the Central Corridor College (C3) Fellowship.  The C3 Fellows program connects college students to healthcare providers along the Metro Green Line to gain entry-level employment and necessary experience to be successful health care professionals.  The program is one step in the Partnership’s laddering approach to career development for Central Corridor zip code residents. To date, partners have collectively increased the percentage of their employees who are residents of the Central Corridor by over 5%.

Dedicated to Making a Difference

In 1989, Omar was torn away from his home due to the Somali Civil War.  His family fled to Kenya seeking safety as political refugees.  In 1993, Omar and his family moved to the United States.  After a few additional moves, Omar came to live in Minnesota, a safe environment where he could finally begin to think about his future.  He was quickly drawn to the health care field.

“Since my childhood was full of so much destruction, I found comfort in the order and structure of health care,”  reflected Omar.

Once resettled in the United States, Omar grew up assisting his grandmother in daily activities while maintaining his own health care needs.  Omar was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a teenager.  Since health care was central to his and his grandmother’s life, Omar found health issues very intriguing.

A few years following high school graduation, Omar looked back on his time caring for his grandmother.  He had developed a strong passion for assisting others and soon realized that he wanted to move his career forward within the health care field as a nurse.  In 2009, Omar became a Certified Nursing Assistant and began seeking higher education to become a Registered Nurse.

Realizing Career Aspirations through C3 Fellows

When still a first year nursing student, Omar met Brian Mogren, C3 Fellows Program Director, at a resume workshop held by human resource professionals from the McKnight Foundation at MCTC.  Students learned the importance of highlighting sections within their resumes that would be of interest to employers.  Following this event, Omar applied to become a C3 Fellow. 

He reflected on how Mogren had become a foundational mentor for him, from alerting him of upcoming job fairs at MCTC to developing his interview skills.

“I am so grateful to have met Brian and be connected to his wide network of nurses who are so supportive of my career aspirations,” Omar noted.  “As a C3 Fellow I am now confident that I can have a career within the health care field as a nurse.”

One of the most notable classes for Omar was “Human Lifespan” in which he studied why people act the way they do at different stages of their life.  During this semester, Omar worked part-time at a long-term care facility for dementia patients.  

The opportunity to stay engaged with his coursework inside and outside of the classroom encouraged Omar’s passion to care for others in need.  His favorite part about the position was hearing the patients’ stories from when they were younger.  They reminded Omar of his own grandmother.

Contributing through Care

Omar has applied and interviewed for a Patient Care Assistant position at one of the CCAP partner hospitals. Mogren provided a reference, and Omar hopes to hear back regarding the position within the next few weeks. Omar’s long term goals are to use his education and work experience in patient care at a long-term care facility to transition into a patient care position at a hospital or acute care facility.

In 2019, Omar will graduate from MCTC’s Professional Nursing Program with his Associates Degree in Nursing as a Registered Nurse.  He has already completed the Central Services – Sterile Reprocessing program. Omar plans to give back to the community by using the skills and resources he has gained through his professional and academic experiences. 

“There is a shortage of health care workers.  I want to help my community by contributing my skills as a Registered Nurse.  I want to help make society better.”

Omar has decided to dedicate his life to caring for others.  The support of the C3 Fellows Program is setting him up for great success.