Posted by: speetzen on: May 13, 2011
As the baby boomers moved through the ages, they upset the apple cart every step of the way, from the number of hospitals and schools needed to the music most Americans listened to. As the older ones begin to enter their “Golden Years” we’ll soon see more changes. This huge age wave will increase our need for direct care workers in skilled nursing homes and, in particular home health care, because they’ll want to remain in their homes as long as they possibly can. Our Minnesota Labor Market Analysts are projecting that the need for home health aides will grow by 42% and for nurses’ aides by 14% by the year 2019. We may have a problem finding enough people to fill these jobs if something isn’t done soon about their pay rates and benefits. The link to PHI has a number of articles about the problems for this workforce in regard to benefits, wages and the shortage of people.
Posted by: speetzen on: May 10, 2011
Every once in a while I write a brief informational article related to careers in healthcare. This is one of them.
Occupational therapist assistants help people with disabilities develop skills. They have opportunities to be creative through the design and adaptation of equipment and exercises to help patients perform tasks while they work under the supervision of Occupational Therapists. To become an OTA, one must earn an Associate degree from an accredited program, sit for the National Certification Exam and apply for a Minnesota License. According to Minnesota labor market analysts, the number of jobs for OTAs will grow by 18% between now and 2019. Though this is very rapid growth, it is a small occupation with only about 460 current positions. Most positions are in the offices of health practitioners, nursing care facilities and hospitals, as well as elementary and secondary schools and home healthcare agencies.
The following Minnesota schools have accredited programs: Anoka Technical College, St. Catherine University, and Northland Community and Technical College. A fourth program, at Herzing University, is brand new and developing program status. The median wage for OTAs is about $20 per hour (median means 50% of people in the occupation make less and 50% make more).
Posted by: speetzen on: March 7, 2011
People who live within commuting distance of Mankato might be interested in the new Health Support Specialist training now available at South Central Community College (SCC). SCC has partnered with Aging Services of Minnesota to create the Health Support Specialist (HSS), a new concept of care and career pathway for aging services facilities known nationally as “Culture Change”. The HSS is a new innovative career model which provides an opportunity to change the traditional system of compartmentalizing jobs by creating a team-based and person-directed environment .
In the HSS program, employees are given the opportunity to advance in their careers through education and on-the-job experiences. The HSS curriculum consists of seven courses for nine college credits and an apprenticeship on-the-job training piece. Upon completion, students will receive a HSS certificate from South Central College and a nationally recognized Registered Apprenticeship Health Support Specialist Certificate from the Minnesota Department of Labor.
This new model of care has potential to reduce recruiting and turnover costs and increase employees morale and skill, which can improve overall quality of care and satisfaction. It creates entry-level employee incentives, and increased efficiency in staffing through cross training.
“The Health Support Specialist program will provide staff with the training to become well rounded, multi-skilled employees. This is important because HSS blends with the culture change movement, putting residents first,” stated Anne Willaert, Health Grant Coordinator for South Central College.
This program is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Scholarships will be available to cover the cost of tuition of the initial training sessions. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Prerequisite: You must be on the nursing assistant registry as either a Certified Nursing Assistant or a Home Health Aide.
To register for the HSS course go to http://tinyurl.com/4h2st5v For additional information regarding the Health Support Specialist program contact Meghan Coleman, Center for Business & Industry, HSS Instructor/Coordinator at 507-389-7410 or email: meghan.coleman@southcentral.edu
Posted by: speetzen on: February 28, 2011
Do you know any adults who haven’t completed their degree? Well, here’s a chance for them to finally earn their associate’s or bachelor’s degree. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system launched a new project for adult degree seekers, thanks to an $800,000 four-year grant from the LUMINA Foundation for Education.
The grant funds the Returning Adults to Progress in Degree (RAPID) Completion Program. RAPID helps people who dropped out of college just a few credits shy of earning a degree. RAPID helps adults to re-enroll in college and earn their degrees by increasing awareness and utilization of adult centered programs and credit-for-prior learning options among adults in Minnesota. Options include taking online courses, enrolling in accelerated programs with flexible start dates and receiving course credits for work experience.
According to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, currently, about 45 percent of Minnesota’s adults have college degrees. A recent study by Georgetown University researchers predicted that 70 percent of the jobs in Minnesota will require postsecondary education in the next decade or so.
New or returning students can find information about the RAPID program options by calling 800-456-8519.
Posted by: speetzen on: December 16, 2010
The Governor’s Workforce Development Council (GWDC) has been awarded a $150,000 grant to lead the state’s effort to develop a comprehensive healthcare workforce development plan. The work is already underway; additional data collection, analysis, and dissemination will be included. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is the lead applicant; educational institutions and systems, healthcare employers, the Minnesota Department of Health, and numerous other stakeholders have already committed to the project.
The impetus for developing this plan stems from: the aging population, increasing diversity and healthcare disparities, rural needs and access issues, and underserved populations. Healthcare Reform at the state and federal level is expected to result in the need for additional healthcare providers and support staff.
The GWDC has contracted project management to HealthForce Minnesota (HF), the Healthcare Center for Excellence located at Winona State University. HF will use regional analyses to identify region-specific needs and will work with a number of different task forces to create an inclusive statewide workforce plan for the future, which will be the end product. There will be a follow up opportunity to apply for a larger implementation grant at the end of this project.
Posted by: speetzen on: December 15, 2010
I’m a native Minnesotan and over the years I’ve worked for a number of companies with headquarters outside our state borders. Almost without fail my work colleagues from other parts of the country, even those from Midwest cities like Chicago, viewed Minnesota as the cold, frigid outback; an unsophisticated place where we still ran around with coonskin caps and used outdoor privies. I’ll admit, our winters are frigid and snowy, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing. It keeps out those lacking the stamina, the hardiness, to thrive in this climate; those lacking a true survival instinct! Can you tell I’m proud of our great state and the people in it?
Here are some highlights from one of our state economic analysts, Magda Olson:
For more information, go to:
http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/mwa/deed/CompareMetro.aspx
Posted by: speetzen on: September 15, 2010
Have you heard that Healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries in our economy and has continued to hire people during this recession? Maybe you’ve been thinking about checking out careers in this field but don’t know where to begin.
Well, here’s your chance to get the latest information. If you are new to healthcare and are wondering which occupations to consider, which ones are now and will be in demand, and where to get the required education, this FREE event is for you!
This event is created by Hennepin South WorkForce Center, Department of Employment and Economic Development and has been supported by Normandale Community College.
You are invited to participate in an event to help you begin your search for a Healthcare career. Join us for the morning from 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to hear about the occupations in demand, the career paths that lead to them, and the schools that offer these programs. Learn about Minnesota’s ISEEK Career Exploration web tool. Take advantage of the opportunity to talk with healthcare educators and professionals already working in these fields.
Occupations in demand will include Emergency Medical Services, Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Nursing, Home Health Aide, Nurses Aide, Health Information Technology, Medical Records, Physician Assistant, Medical Lab Technician, Physical Therapy Assistant and more.
Event Schedule
7:30 a.m. – Doors open for registration and seating
8:15 – 8:30 a.m. – Welcome – Susan Speetzen, Healthcare Industry Specialist for Department of Employment and Economic Development, plus an overview featuring the healthcare occupations most in demand
8:30-9:00 a.m. Keynote speakers – Marlo Dworsky & George Moore will talk about their experiences of changing from non-healthcare careers to becoming a Nurse and Physician Assistant
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Rachel Vilsack, Metro Region Labor Market Analyst, Department of Employment and Economic Development. Learn about Minnesota’s in-demand health care careers now and in the future. Resources provided will help you explore careers, educational programs, and how to connect with employers.
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Denise Felder, MnCareers Editor, ISEEK, Healthcare Career Exploration Demonstration of Occupations in Demand.
10:45a.m. – Break
11:00 – 12:30 Occupational Round Robins (every 15 minutes). Meet with individual healthcare professionals & educators from different occupations and
get your questions answered.
Registration Information:
Preferred registration deadline is Monday, September 20, 2010 or you may sign up at the event. Register today, the event is FREE, seating is limited! For registration questions please contact 952-487-8343.
If you have a membership card from any WorkForce Center (9 digits beginning with 200……)to register, please go to www.positivelymn.com/hennepinsouth click on “email us” (upper left) and specify: Register for Health Care event and include your name, address, phone number and email address.
If you’re not a current WorkForce Center member: Go to your closest WorkForce Center, http://tiny.cc/wemqk, and get a membership card first. Then follow the above steps.
If you don’t have time to go to a WorkForce Center (or alternatively, what Carolyn had…”all other event attendees…), register by calling Normandale at 952 … …. (if you have to include your website for online registration, then I guess you have to but the idea is to get people to a WFC first to at least get a membership card).
All other event attendees-Register online at http://normandale.augusoft.net.
Posted by: speetzen on: August 31, 2010
Check out the Graduate Level Nursing Informatics Certificate at The College of St. Scholastica. Scholarships are available through CSS and the University Partnership for Health Informatics. (UP-HI)
This program focuses on the application of computerized information systems to the work processes and decision-making activities of nurses in patient care, education and research.
●Approximately 15 credits (100% online) including a 200 hour practicum with your current employer.
●Can be completed in only 1 year while working full time. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the certification exam.
●Scholarships available through CSS and the University Partnership for Health Informatics (UP-HI). http://uphi.umn.edu/
●They are currently accepting applications for the next start term of January 2011. Majority of the program is online with a few on campus sessions.
For more Information contact Chad Opeit, Graduate Admissions Counselor
The Office of Graduate Admissions, The College of St. Scholastica , 1200 Kenwood Ave. Duluth, MN 55811 ***Call or email with questionis: PH: 218-723-6362, Fax: 218-733-2275
email: gradstudies@css.edu
Nursing Wesite – www.css.edu/x4604.xml
UP-HI Website – http://uphi.umn.edu
Posted by: speetzen on: August 18, 2010
There are supposedly going to be a lot of new jobs out there due to the need to network and digitize health records. These new jobs will be in a relatively new field called Health Informatics and Health Information Management, roughly 97,000 jobs nationally according to some sources. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has awarded grants to certain Universities and Colleges to help train people for these positions, which will exist in just about every kind of business involved in healthcare – from hospitals to insurance companies.
The University of Minnesota (Twin Cities and Crookston) and The College of St. Scholastica were awarded a grant for over $5.1 MM that will enable them to recruit, train and place graduates in vital health technology roles to meet our nation’s health technology needs. A limited number of scholarships are available to cover tuition costs, but you must first be admitted to the program before you can apply for an UP-HI scholarship. The programs include certification or Master’s programs and eligibility depends on a match between your qualifications and funded slots available in the program.
Successful candidates will be people involved with healthcare delivery or operations who also have computer or database experience (nurses, doctors, etc.). The more intense, health-related IT experience, you have, the better. Some of the programs are related to quality, safety and outcomes; others involve security and privacy, so a strong IT-related degree and experience in a healthcare setting is also valued. Other likely candidates could include biologists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, etc, [those people with life science backgrounds]. In most cases a minimum of a BS degree is required, although there are certificate programs at Crookston that don’t require an undergraduate degree. Most of the programs are offered as online or hybrid courses that require only limited sessions on campus.
For more information, go to http://www.uphi.umn.edu/
You can also call or email the following people for answers to your questions:
Jennifer Trochinski at 612-626-4132, troc0021@umn.edu or
Dr. Layne Johnson at 612-625-8673; layne@umn.edu
The scholarships are only available as long as they last, so act on this quickly if your interested.
Posted by: speetzen on: February 25, 2010
Remember the expression, “May you live in interesting times”? According to one source it comes from the Chinese and actually means, “May you experience much upheaval and trouble in your life”; the clear implication being that ‘uninteresting times’, of peace and tranquility, are more life-enhancing.
From my perspective, I’d say we are definitely living in interesting times. With the roller coaster ride we call politics today, wars with no end, the upending of our middle class traditions and the slippery economic slope so many of us are on these days, things are definitely not dull.
Last June I created a networking group for folks who had lost their jobs in the healthcare industry. This was a surprising turn of events and not something I had envisioned when, in January of last year, I started a “general” networking group for the average job seeker. That group was begun simply because the Bloomington WorkForce Center had no networking group and it seemed like something we should offer. I remembered how much I appreciated such a group when I lost my job after 9/11. I wasn’t unemployed for long, but I still remember the empty feeling I had as I watched my husband and neighbors drive out of our neighborhood as they left for work each day while I stood in the living room window drinking coffee in my pajamas .
I’m an extrovert, so this job search business was lonely work. Sitting alone in a silent house all day at a computer sapped me of every ounce of energy and optimism I had. There was no place I needed to go, no one expecting me anywhere. A networking group I discovered at what was the former Burnsville Workforce Center gave me a place to go to be with people who understood what it felt like to lose your identity as a “person with a job”.
Back to June: knowing my background, a few members of my “regular” networking group had been suggesting I start another group just for Healthcare Professionals. They didn’t feel they fit other networking groups. Healthcare is about compassion, caring for others, healing, feeling and it’s a very regulated industry; it’s not about how much money you can make, although a good income is always nice. It isn’t just direct care providers like nurses or physical therapists, it carries over into the other departments like human resources, finance, marketing. I think most people in these fields would make more money in just about any other setting, but for some reason they feel a better fit in healthcare.
So I scheduled the first meeting of this new healthcare group thinking maybe 12 people would show up. We ended up with close to 30 that first day. From there, the group has grown. I keep a spread sheet of names and email addresses; my numbers say 122 have joined and attended. People come and go; it’s a fluid group. In October I started a virtual group on LinkedIn so that those who have found jobs can stay in the loop. This group includes a broader cross-section of people; some are employed, while others are in transition, it even includes a few recruiters, but it’s still all healthcare people. Today there are over 170 members.
Lately I had begun to think people were growing tired of the group, or me, or both. Familiar faces that had been coming to the Workforce Center meetings were disappearing. A Counselor here commented on how many group members were finding jobs. She had been watching the notices I post on LinkedIn. I decided to take a serious look; it didn’t seem like that many. I sat down using my spread sheet, profiles on LinkedIn and notices I’d received, and discovered that out of 122 registered members who attended the meetings, 39 have found jobs since last June! No wonder I wasn’t seeing the old familiar faces! They were getting JOBS!
So yes, we are living in very interesting times, however, I can’t help but think that at the end of this very long tunnel, there is some light. And those who keep plugging away, expanding their horizons, their networks and their learning are going to find jobs, just like the 39 who already have.
