A partnership between Adrian High School, Hills Beaver Creek High School, Edgerton High School, Luverne High School, Pipestone Area High School and several healthcare employers within each of these communities has received a $15,000 LYFT Career Pathways Innovation award that will emphasize hands-on experience and the enhancement and continued development of community partnerships in the areas of southwest Minnesota.

This project involves redesigning an entire hallway in what was once a wing of Sanford Hospital. This would include redesigning three vacant former hospital rooms and a former nurse’s station. Specifically, these areas will be remodeled as a mock hospital room, clinic exam room, and physical therapy/occupational therapy/chiropractic exam room along with a nurse’s station, and would all be utilized for hands-on experiences throughout the fall 2023 semester. These experiences will be provided by the instructor of the course (a Registered Nurse) and by developing partnerships with various healthcare professionals in the area who are willing to share their time and talents with students enrolled in the Introduction to Medical Careers course.

The goals for this project is to create an innovative, hands-on learning environment for students interested in medical careers; the creation of community partnerships with healthcare related entities interested in investing time and resources into the next generation of healthcare career professionals.

Outcomes will be measured by the number of students enrolled in the course, follow-up with students after the course regarding entry into the workforce and/or post-secondary healthcare related programs, and by the number and depth of community partnerships established resulting in experiential learning, including work-based learning such as job shadows.

• In the Fall of 2017, 21 students took this course.
• In the Fall of 2018, 18 students took this course.
• In the Spring of 2019, four students took this course.
• In the Fall of 2019, 19 students took this course.
• In the Spring of 2020, nine students took this course.
• In the Fall of 2020, 17 students took this course.

For more information contact Kate Anderson at SWWC.