Successful Saint Paul College Career Fair

On Tuesday, March 7, Saint Paul College hosted a well-attended health sciences career fair for students from Saint Paul College and other Central Corridor Anchor Partnership schools. The fair began with a career panel moderated by C3 Fellows Director Brian Mogren and highlighted panelists Elle Nelson, Associate Recruiter at Regions Hospital, and Theresa Carroll, Recruiter at HealthEast. Mogren kicked off the panel, inviting the two panels to recall the least helpful questions they encountered at previous career events. Mogren sought to spark in attendees' minds a different way of thinking about jobs and careers.

The C3 Fellows program connects college students to healthcare providers located along the Metro Green Line. Students gain entry-level employment and necessary experience to become 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%. 

“Don’t just ask what I have open,” Nelson told students. “At any given time, I have upwards of 250 positions to fill. It’s important to have an idea of what kind of job you want.”

“It shows a lack of preparedness,” Carroll added to Nelson’s comment. “It gives the impression that you haven’t thought about what position would fit your skills and interests.”

Student questions for the panelists prompted tips about the importance of cover letters, recommended resume length, and how to make a job application stand out among the rest.

Following the panel, students spoke with representatives from healthcare and educational institutions. Education partners Metro State, St. Kate’s, and Augsburg College provided information about continuing education opportunities. Representatives from healthcare partners HealthEast, Regions, HealthPartners, Gillette Children’s Hospital, and Fairview discussed job opportunities, provided resume review, and offered mock on-site interviews.

.@StPaulCollege hosted successful healthcare career fair March 7: https://t.co/On72WfJ4MU

— CCAP (@CCAnchorPartner) March 13, 2017

The successful event exceeded expectations: student attendance was greater than predicted, and HealthEast and Augustana both set up interviews with promising students during the career fair. 

St. Paul College Career Fair

This Tuesday, March 7, St. Paul College and C3 Fellows will be hosting a health science career fair. A number of Central Corridor Partners will be in attendance, along with Hennepin County Medical Center. The fair will begin with an hour-long employer panel led by professionals from Regions Hospital and HealthEast. The panel will cover topics including the importance of a strong first impression and salary information, and students are encouraged to come prepared with their own questions.

Following the panel, there will be a career fair from 1 to 4 pm. Employers will be conducting resume reviews on the spot and providing opportunities for on-site interviews. There will also be 30-minute breakout sessions highlighting career pathways for students and graduates as well as student opportunities in healthcare.  Augsburg College, Metro State, and St. Catherine University will have information regarding continuing education opportunities.

Learn more about the event here.

C3 Fellow Profile: Kristine Girbe

The C3 Fellows program has placed over 225 C3 Fellows students in field placements, a milestone for the program. Fellows earn on average nearly $5 more per hour than students not in the program. Field placements are specific to the health care career interest of Fellows and connect them with CCAP partner employers in the health care field. 

Throughout her childhood on a dairy farm in northeastern Latvia, Kristine Girbe always had the ambition to pursue higher education outside of her rural community. Girbe was a senior in high school when the 2008 financial crisis hit Latvia. It became harder to access university education within the country, and Girbe turned her focus to higher education abroad. Her destination: the Twin Cities.

Thanks to support from an aunt who relocated to Minnesota, and her family back home, Girbe came to the Twin Cities to pursue college.

In her first year as a nursing student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), Girbe applied and was accepted to the Central Corridor College Fellow (C3 Fellows) program.

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%.

A Health Care Calling

It was during her first semester at MCTC in a hands-on anatomy and physiology lab entitled “pig anatomy” that Girbe decided that health care was right for her.

“The labs inspired me,” Girbe said.“Immediately, I wanted to figure out how all of this related to humans.”

An Entry Level Job at the UMN Medical Center

As an international student at MCTC, Girbe struggled to make professional connections within the health care field.  Meeting C3 Fellows Program Director Brian Mogren, however, changed everything.

Girbe met Mogren at one of the C3 Fellows program’s free CPR training sessions for MCTC students. After learning Girbe’s story, Mogren connected her with professionals in the human resources department of the University of Minnesota Medical Center.  These professionals and Mogren helped Girbe boost her resume, enhance her interview skills, and successfully land an entry-level position in the healthcare field as a floating custodian for the University of Minnesota Medical Center. 

Girbe’s entry-level position offered a window into the behind-the-scenes workings of a large and diverse health care institution.  Girbe regularly cleaned surgical instruments after procedures such as bone marrow transplants. She frequently enjoyed interacting with patients and appreciated the supportive work environment fostered by nurses and doctors on the surgery teams.  

“Everyone was so friendly and encouraging.  I enjoyed the experience very much,”Girbe reflected.“Being [at the Medical Center] helped me see my future.  I could see myself working in a hospital helping people.”

Today Girbe holds an Associate’s Degree in nursing from MCTC, anticipates receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Metropolitan State University in May 2017, and plans to study a PhD in physical therapy and work in a rehabilitation center with patients on post-accident remobilization.

“I want to help people manage their new lives,”Girbe said.

Girbe credits the C3 Fellows program with providing much of the support and guidance she needed to make her academic goals in a new country a reality.