By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Since the pandemic, rural communities have often struggled to recruit and retain enough healthcare workers, with studies estimating that rural areas will need hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers in the next decade to replace those who are leaving and retiring. Locally, here in Northfield, St. Olaf College launched a new program last year to help bridge that gap and provide valuable training to students. President of the College, Dr. Susan Rundell Singer, stated that they had several strong healthcare programs already on campus:
“We have a large number of students who are very interested in careers in multiple dimensions of health, and a very successful pre-medical program. We may not always step back and think about how many of our students through our kinesiology program go into physical therapy or work in sports. We have nursing students, students who go on to become dentists and vets.” – Dr. Susan Rundell Singer, President of St. Olaf College, KYMN News Interview
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And new to St. Olaf’s offering, starting just this past January, is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program. Singer says it allows students in the course of a J-Term and then the following spring semester to get the needed training and then intern, usually with a local healthcare provider, including both Northfield Hospital and the Retirement Community.
“So they’re already being of service to the community, but when they finish all those pieces, they’re now certified nursing assistants, and they can go and get jobs In the broader community, they’re meeting a need, and they’re also gaining really valuable experience.” – Dr. Susan Rundell Singer, President of St. Olaf College, KYMN News Interview
Singer said the program had been well-received and that they were excited to offer it again this year. You can learn more about the St. Olaf Nursing program here.
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