From bizjournals.com: “WCTC enters nursing partnership with University of Phoenix” – The University of Phoenix College of Nursing and Waukesha County Technical College have announced a transfer pathway that will enable WCTC nursing students to transfer into the University of Phoenix in pursuit of a master of science in nursing, according to a release.
Under the new partnership, eligible students and graduates of WCTC’s associate of applied science in nursing degree program will be able to transfer into University of Phoenix’s bachelor of science in nursing degree program. Students may then continue their education by enrolling in the master of science in nursing/nurse administration degree program. The University of Phoenix has local campuses in Milwaukee and Brookfield.
“A more educated nurse is a safer nurse,” said Angie Strawn, associate dean of University of Phoenix College of Nursing, in the release. “For many, the demands of a full-time career as a nurse preclude their ability to pursue an advanced degree. Our new pathway with Waukesha makes the path to becoming a nurse leader more achievable.”
MSTC students give back to community
April 2, 2013
From marshfieldnewsherald.com: “Column: MSTC students give back to community” – Winter is ending — I am sure of it! Well, almost sure. Despite the weather, Mid-State Technical College students have been actively engaged in our communities, demonstrating service learning at its finest. MSTC students and employees positively impact hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives each year through volunteerism and service learning.
Service learning is a method of instruction that combines classroom knowledge and skills with real-world experience through community service. Many MSTC students engage in service learning and charitable activities, demonstrating that a technical college education not only provides students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce, but also community spirit to be valuable contributors to central Wisconsin.
The number of MSTC community projects is too great to list them all, but I’d like to share a sample of the spirit of giving among our students.
Many MSTC programs arrange service learning to help meet specific community needs. For instance, the Early Childhood Education, or ECE, Club filled pillowcases with pajamas, toys, personal hygiene items and games for children who have been removed from their home due to possible neglect or abuse. Mid-State Student Nurses Association, or MSNA, sponsors an on-campus blood drive every semester.
Students also are quick to address tragic events and previously unforeseen needs. Corrections students sponsored a walk that raised $9,800 to assist a local family with their child’s medical expenses. The same group of students is raising money for the family of an Adams County deputy injured in the line of duty.
Student projects also increase awareness and educate. Students Environmentally United for a Sustainable Society, or SEUSS, a club made up of students from MSTC’s five renewable energy programs and the Urban Forestry program, regularly promote environmental sustainability through a variety of events and charitable giving. In one instance, the SEUSS club recently bought and prepared locally grown foods and served dinner to about 180 people at The Neighborhood Table in Wisconsin Rapids. MSTC law enforcement students mentor local high school students and members of the community through the police academies.
I am humbled and inspired by these outstanding and selfless acts of kindness. Generosity and service learning are truly a part of our culture at MSTC. The student club concept fosters self-improvement by providing opportunities to develop leadership qualities, social awareness, occupational understanding and civic consciousness. Development of these skills helps students discover new interests, make connections, and enhance opportunities for employment — all while positively impacting their future employers and the fabric of our communities.
WTCS announces new program for nurses
February 12, 2013
From bizjournals.com: “WTCS announces new program for nurses” – Registered nurses with a two-year degree from a Wisconsin technical college can now fully apply those credits toward a bachelor degree, according to a release.
The agreement originated with Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and Cardinal Stritch University, but the replicable approach was immediately made available to nursing graduates of all 16 Wisconsin technical colleges.
The one-day-per week program, part of the university’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion program, is designed for registered nurses looking for enhanced career opportunities, promotions and management positions.
“It makes career progression very attainable for our highly skilled nursing graduates,” said Morna Foy, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System, in the release.
Cardinal Stritch, with its main campus in the Milwaukee area and campuses throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota, designed the program specifically for working registered nurses. It is accredited through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
From lacrossetribune.com: “Western Technical College celebrates official opening of new BRF campus” – Officials from Western Technical College and the area celebrated the official inception of the college’s new downtown Black River Falls campus last week.
The group held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 16 at the Fillmore Street site to mark the end of the three-year project of what one speaker deemed a “state-of-the-art” building.
“It’s just an amazing, amazing thing,” said Western Technical College President Lee Rasch. “We’re here to stay for the next 100 years.”
WTC officials began exploring the possibility of revamping its former site on Red Iron Road or relocating to the former site of the IGA building in the city’s downtown more than three years ago. The college’s addition of a nursing program and the expansion of other coursework prompted the need for more building space.
Students began classes at the new 18,000-square-foot site in January, but crews just this fall officially ended work on the building, which includes solar panels and other energy efficient amenities.
The $3 million project also is expected to draw increased enrollment for the BRF location because of its move from an out-of-town rural area. About 300 students have enrolled per semester since the new campus opened, which is up anywhere from 50 to 100 students from the Red Iron Road location.
“What a great thing for Black River Falls,” said Larry Lunda, who assisted the college while it prepared to make its move downtown.
NTC offers bachelor degree opportunity for online nursing program
October 29, 2012
From wsaw.com: “NTC offers bachelor degree opportunities for online nursing program” – Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau and Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, Arizona are proud to announce a new articulation agreement for the nursing programs. This agreement allows NTC graduates who have passed the NCLEX to transfer into the RN to BSN program at GCU.
“More and more employers are looking for BSN-prepared nurses who can hit the ground running,” said Anne McNamara, GCU Dean of the College of Nursing. “We are excited that this partnership with NTC will allow us to streamline the transfer process for students who are ready for that next step.”
GCU’s RN to BSN program is available completely online with students taking one class at a time. “This articulation agreement will allow current and former NTC students to acquire their degree without leaving the area,” says Lorraine Zoromski, NTC Dean of Health Sciences.
Groundbreaking for FVTC health and technology center
September 19, 2012
From fox11online.com: “Groundbreaking for health and technology center” – GRAND CHUTE – Fox Valley Technical College is expanding. Tuesday, school officials broke ground on a new building.
The Health Simulation and Technology Center is expected to be completed next fall.
A $66.5 million public referendum passed last April will help pay for the project.
It features a three-story, 60,000 square foot building.
“It’s a very exciting day. We’ve been in the planning process for this facility for at least seven or eight years, and to see it come all together and actually turn the dirt today at our groundbreaking, is extremely exciting,” said Robert Sternhagen, the human patients simulator coordinator at FVTC.
Once completed, the new building will also feature new technology, including virtual reality and computer simulation.
Federal funds help N.E.W. Community Clinic expand at NWTC
August 8, 2012
From greenbaypressgazette.com: “Federal funds help N.E.W. Community Clinic expand at NWTC”– The very week that the nation tips a hat to clinics for the poor, one of those facilities expands its staff, thanks to federal funds.
The N.E.W. Community Clinic at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College on Tuesday marked National Health Center Week with a visit from soon-to-be-retiring Sen. Herb Kohl. Clinic staff members honored the long-serving Milwaukee Democrat with an award for championing health care centers throughout his career.
The clinic is hiring an additional nurse practitioner and two other staffers this week with money Kohl helped get as part of his work on the Senate appropriations committee, said Bonnie Kuhr, CEO and administrator of the clinic who also directs two other clinics in Green Bay. The clinic received about $900,000 through the Affordable Care Act.
“The grant allows us to double our capacity,” Kuhr said.
National Health Care Week celebrates 17 health centers throughout Wisconsin, which have 90 sites, Kohl said. There are 1,100 such health centers around the nation with 8,500 sites. The clinics provide health care for uninsured and underinsured, but they end up helping everyone, Kohl said.
“These are people, many of whom are working but can’t afford insurance, who might not get health care at all, or, if they do, it’d be in the emergency room, where it is many, many times more expensive,” Kohl said. “If it’s here, it may be $40, compared with $800 or $900 in an emergency room. We are deeply indebted to you.”
Mary Rahr, director of the N.E.W. Clinic at NWTC, said that branch has treated more than 20,000 patients in its six years of existence.
The N.E.W. Clinic also has a facility in downtown Green Bay that services low-income individuals and families as well as another that is associated with the Salvation Army on the near northwest side of town, where it provides health care mostly to the homeless.
Gov. Scott Walker was originally scheduled to help the clinic kick off National Health Care Week Monday but canceled following the mass shooting Sunday in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek. Walker, a Republican, has opposed federal health care reform, also called Obamacare, and says he will not implement in Wisconsin changes the law brings to the health care industry.
The position doesn’t necessarily mean he opposes health care centers like N.E.W. clinics, which continue to receive state support as well as federal support, Kuhr said. The NWTC branch of the clinic operates mostly with state and federal money, but was required to raise matching funds to be eligible for the $900,000 federal grant, Kuhr said.
Nursing student saves drowning child
July 16, 2012
From wxow.com: “Nursing student saves drowning child” – After just one semester of nursing courses at Western Technical College, Megan Barbian figured she was at least a year and a half away from saving lives. However, that all changed Wednesday night, when a 20-month-old girl was pulled from the water at Pettibone Beach.
“When I started she had no pulse, no respirations, she was really really pale, her lips were a blackish purple color,” Barbian said.
Lifeguards were not on duty at the time and Megan was the only one on the beach who knew CPR.
“The little girl reminded me so much of my niece, and I was like ok, this is her, ” Barbian said. “You need to do, what you need to do to save her. Did it cross my mind that yeah she might not make it? Yeah, and I was scared. But I started compressions, and after a few minutes she took her first breath. And I was like, we’re getting somewhere.”
The child’s family wishes to remain anonymous, but did contact Western to tell them about Megan’s heroic actions.
“To me, Megan is an angel,” the girl’s grandmother said. “I mean, my granddaughter wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Megan. And I hope she’ll always be part of our family. It’s just remarkable that a stranger can do that.”
Gundersen Lutheran also took notice of Megan’s actions and offered her a job as a pediatric nurse when she finishes school.
“Just thank you, from the bottom of my heart Megan,” the grandmother said. “My family thanks you. You are going to be the best nurse in the world. And words cannot express how grateful we are.”
The child is now home and her family says she’s back to her normal self.
Both Megan and the girl’s grandmother say the incident highlights the importance of knowing CPR.
Job demand remains rosy in some sectors
June 25, 2012
From postcrescent.com: “Job demand remains rosy in some sectors” – With all the gloomy global and national economic news, it may seem like most, if not all, industries are either not hiring or even reducing their workforce.
But that’s not the case in northeast Wisconsin for high-demand professions such as nursing or metalworking and fabrication, where job opportunities remained strong throughout the recession and during the slow recovery that has followed it.
The reasons for the strength of the job market in those sectors is twofold.
In manufacturing, a historically strong manufacturing base has been buoyed in part by large government contracts to companies such as Oshkosh Corp. and Marinette Marine. Meanwhile, an aging population is driving the growing need for an array of skilled health care workers.
Companies in the 18-county northeast Wisconsin region are projected to need to fill 10,000 production and manufacturing jobs by 2016, according to a 2010 study by New North, a consortium of business, economic development, chambers of commerce, workforce development and civic and education leaders. The health care field’s numbers were expected to trend upward as well, expanding by almost 4,000 jobs by 2016.
Health care hiring steady
Aurora Health Care is maybe not in as much of a crunch for employees as Muza Metal and Marinette Marine are for fabricators, but there is still a steady need for new employees to fill open positions at locations from Milwaukee to Green Bay.
“There is always a need,” said Gwen Baumel, vice president of human resources for Aurora Health Care.
Aurora gets a lot of applicants for positions from those in the Fox Cities and Green Bay areas, and starts working with potential future health care workers while they are still in school.
“We have a very good relationship with the local schools, which really helps,” Baumel said. “We talk with them so the school stays in tune with employers and what sort of challenges there are.”
One of the good relationships is with Fox Valley Technical College, where nurses graduating from the program are finding a hot job market upon graduation.
FVTC graduates about 40 associated degree nurses and 25 licensed practical nurses per semester and roughly 800 nursing assistants per year.
Once graduated, the majority of those students find work quickly. According to Assistant Dean of Health Division Carrie Thompson, all of the college’s 2011 associated degree graduates were working within six months of graduation. Ninety-three percent of new LPNs were hired within six months of graduation, and nursing assistants placed at 69 percent.
“Most (graduates) stay in the area,” Thompson said. “They are everywhere and in lots of different companies, most of which are in the area.”
Welding in demand
The need for welders is expected to increase 26 percent by 2015, according to the 2009 New North Occupation Opportunity Projections Survey.
Even now, manufacturing companies are struggling to find skilled metal workers.
For instance, Muza Metal Products in Oshkosh, which last month completed a 47,000-square-foot plant addition is continuing a pattern of growth in a metals manufacturing industry that leans heavily on Oshkosh Corp. Muza employs 260 workers over four shifts, but still is short of workers.
“Skilled labor for fabrication is in high demand, especially in this area,” said Muza Metal Products President Dan Hietpas. “It’s a very competitive area and we are still looking for 10 to 15 workers.”
The tough part about filling those openings is that they are night and weekend shifts. Muza keeps its plant running 24 hours a day and needs enough workers to staff each shift. But even paying a premium over the company’s normal $14 to $22 dollar an hour salary hasn’t helped fill all of the positions.
“We pay a 75 cents to $1.50 premium, depending on the shift,” Hietpas said. “That can be quite the bump in salary, but it’s still a challenge.”
In Marinette, the shipbuilding company Marinette Marine is equally hard up for skilled welders, pipefitters and electricians.
The company has added 600 jobs in the past 12 months, and now has 1,400 employees, but is struggling to fill vacancies for skilled trades jobs, and is even having a hard time recruiting people to sign on to train and work for them. The company held open 40 spots for entry-level workers, reaching out to nine schools in the process, but landed only seven graduates.
A typical employee at the shipyard can earn $30,000 to $40,000 a year.
Right now, the future looks “pretty rosy for us,” Marinette Marine President and CEO Charles Goddard said. “We can easily handle 100 or more hires out of high schools in a year.”
The welding/metal fabrication program at Fox Valley Technical College, which works with Muza Metal and Marinette Marine, has a very high job placement after graduation. Ninety percent of last year’s graduates found jobs after graduation. Some of the students in the program were hired before they finished their degrees based on the high demand of the job, which is continuing to grow.
Students share stories from apprenticeships
May 25, 2012
From wausaudailyherald.com: “Wausau West students share stories from apprenticeships” – More than 60 high school juniors and seniors are working in part-time positions in the Wausau area through Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program. I’ve written a number of articles about the YA program for the paper in the past year, but for this article, two current YAs have agreed to share their experiences, in their own words.
Morgan Zernicke, Wausau West senior
I’ve been in the Youth Apprenticeship program for two years. My first year, I worked at Zernicke Farm, doing field work, barn chores and feeding calves. Currently, I’m working at Marathon Feed, where I provide customer service and do anything I am asked to do. I always wanted to go into the agricultural field, but my job at Marathon Feed has made me think more about what I really want to do for my future career. I’ve made the choice to stay in the agri-business area. I’ve been accepted to Northcentral Technical College this fall. I will graduate with an associate degree in Dairy Science Agri-business and hope to work in Marathon or Lincoln County after graduation. The YA program has helped me discover that a career in agriculture is a good fit for me.
Michaela Ketchum, Wausau West senior
Not many students could say their senior year has been as victorious as mine has been. As a full-time student at Wausau West High School working as a certified nursing assistant at Kindred Transitional Care, I have strived better to be not only a family member and a student, but a friend to many new patients that I care about deeply. The Youth Apprenticeship program has taken me down numerous exciting and new roads that have helped direct my future. Without this program, I would never have been so eager to plan my future as a registered nurse. While being a CNA, I have had so many opportunities to understand how essential the health field is and what struggles are truly out there. The Youth Apprenticeship program is such an important milestone for a student’s life and can even help them to find the key to their future.
If you’d like to connect with a student looking for an apprenticeship or want to learn more about the YA program, contact your local high school YA coordinator or Donna Schulz at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau at schulzd@ntc.edu.
Need for nurses grows as population ages
May 24, 2012
From fdlreporter.com: “Need for nurses grows as population ages” –There’s a reason why local college nursing programs are so popular.
Fond du Lac educators say nurses are in high demand, and the need for nurses will only grow as the population ages.
Nursing is the largest program enrollment-wise at Moraine Park Technical College. Dean of Health Sciences Kathy Van Eerden said 900 students have indicated that nursing is their choice of study.
It’s also a major field at Marian University, said Julie Luetschwager, dean of the school of nursing.
“(Enrollment) has been pretty stable, which is a good thing,” she said.
It’s not just high school graduates choosing nursing. Luetschwager said many nurses are also returning to school for advanced degrees.
Opportunities for highly skilled nurses are available in community and public health. And with doctor shortages anticipated in the future, nurse practitioners will be needed to fulfill some of their responsibilities.
Van Eerden said more and more students pursuing nursing already have a degree in another field, but are going back to school because they’re underemployed. Others who were laid off during the recession are hoping to land a diploma — and a career — in a stronger, more lucrative industry.
It helps that opportunities abound for nurses, and since credits transfer, it’s easy for them to advance their education if they so choose, she added.
“The beauty of nursing is that it has a clear career ladder for people,” she said.
The health care industry wasn’t immune to the recession; some medical providers froze hiring as a result of the economy, Luetschwager said. But sooner, rather than later, they’re going to have to hire again in response to the rapidly aging population.
Nurses too will retire, creating additional gaps that will need to be filled. Unless it’s addressed, there’s going to be a nursing shortage in the near future, Van Eerden said.
“We are clearly seeing continued high demand locally and nationally,” she said.
From greenbaypressgazette.com: “Community Memorial Hospital honors Meyer with Values Award” – Community Memorial Hospital named Stephanie Meyer as the recipient of its Living Our Values award.
Meyer was nominated by her co-workers who say she believes in and applies the CMH core values of trust, care, respect, quality and community in everything she does.
“Stephanie’s dedication to our mission, vision, and values has earned her this recognition,” said Dan DeGroot, Community Memorial Hospital CEO.
As a registered nurse in CMH Surgical Services, Meyer cares for patients before, during and after surgery.
In addition to caring for patients in the operating room, she coordinates pre-surgical visits for patients who need lab, X-ray or physical therapy, and Meyer consults patients on how to prepare for their procedure and helps them plan for their at-home post-op care.
Meyer earned an associate degree from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau in 2004 and a bachelor of science in nursing from UW-Green Bay in 2007. She has been with Community Memorial Hospital since 2007.
“I realize how important it is to treat families and patients with respect and concern,” Meyer said. “I want patients and families to feel comfortable and know we will take the best possible care of them.”
Meyer lives in Coleman with her husband, Lucas, and sons Alexander, 3, and Beckett, 6 months.
Meyer is the daughter of Jennifer and the late Robert Forrest of Suring and of the late Keith Gruber of Coleman.
College studies still fall along gender lines
May 7, 2012
From greenbaypressgazette.com: “College studies still fall along gender lines” – When Breana Cleven dons a cap and gown next week to accept a certificate in welding from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, she’ll be part of a minority and majority.
Women have outnumbered men at local colleges for more than a generation, and their ranks are growing. But educators say certain areas of study continue to be dominated by women or men. Women, for example, slowly are gravitating to fields typically favored by men, including welding, science or engineering.
Cleven will be one of the 65 percent or so of female graduates, but just one of two women graduating with a welding certificate.
“I’ve always worked on farms and stuff so I’m used to working with men,” said Cleven, who graduated from high school in 2009 and lives in the Wrightstown area. “I got a job welding last summer and did a little bit of welding in high school. I decided to get a certificate and hopefully get a good job.”
When students at three local colleges — NWTC, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and St. Norbert College — graduate in the coming weeks, more women than men will accept diplomas.
For the past 20 years, women have made up about 60 percent of NWTC’s student population. They now make up about two-thirds of the student body, or 64 percent. Sixty-eight percent of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay graduates in 2011 were women and at St. Norbert College, almost 60 percent of the class of 2011 was female.
“I think the trend of more women in college than men has been going on for a while,” said Karen Smits, vice president for college advancement at NWTC who suggested that the long-term trends could be moving to better reflect the makeup of communities.
In the past 10 years, women nationwide have earned about 60 percent of bachelor’s degrees, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In the same period, the number of women earning master’s degrees has grown from 58 percent to 60 percent, and the number of female doctoral graduates has increased from 43 percent in 1998-99 to 52 percent in 2008-09, the most recent numbers available from the Virginia-based center.
Gender specific
Classes at NWTC in decades past were pretty starkly divided — photos from the 1930s show a science class full of men and a typing class filled mostly with women.
Those numbers are changing, but maybe not as fast as people would assume.
“You still see women moving into the health professions and men into manufacturing and construction programs,” Smits said. “We have seen some crossover, but maybe not as much as we would have hoped for.”
When nursing shortages made headlines in the mid-2000s, Smits said NWTC saw a jump in men signing up for its two-year registered nursing program. Still, just 127 men have graduated from the community college with an RN degree in the past 20 years, compared with 1,752 women.
Likewise, in a 20-year span, women accounted for 85 percent of the school’s accounting graduates and all of its administrative assistant, administrative professional, dental assistant and childcare graduates. They also accounted for nearly all the school’s dental hygienist and data entry operations graduates, as well as dominated health- and medical-related programs. Percentages of women are in the single digits for many electrical, automotive and engineering programs, but Smits said numbers of women in those areas are growing.
In the past 20 years, she noted that 96 percent of welding graduates were men. But there are some signs of growth — six women graduated with welding certificates two years ago.
“A lot of people think it’s only a man’s job, but women can do it, too,” Cleven said. “I think the guys are pretty good about it.”
Twenty years ago, 64 percent of UW-Green Bay graduates were women. In 2011 they made up 68 percent of graduates.
Since at least 1990, women have earned about 90 percent of education, social work and nursing degrees at the school. They’ve made up half the business graduates, as well as communications graduates, which includes computers and information sciences.
The number of women, as a percentage of all natural and applied sciences majors, which includes math, rose steadily through the 1990s before leveling off in the mid-2000s. Women represented just 46 percent of natural science, including math, majors from 1990-91 to 1994-95, and just 10 years later, they represented 65 percent of natural sciences, including math, majors. Today, women represent 60 percent of natural science majors.
St. Norbert does not break out the numbers similarly.
Smits of NWTC said administrators are trying to encourage crossover.
“What we’re trying to do is let both genders know there are great opportunities for both,” she said. “For women, we talk about some of the possibilities in manufacturing. For men, we talk about health care, noting it does involve science, you’re just working with people.”
She acknowledges change takes time.
“Children and high school kids are influenced by their parents, or what their guidance counselors talk to them about,” Smits said. “It’s a long, slow process.
“But I do think after 15 years of flat, we’re starting to see an uptick of change. We’re hosting workshops to help kids see different career opportunities, and I think high schools and middle schools are making an effort to show those possibilities, too.”
Equal pay?
According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women with associate degrees earn about 75 percent of what men with two-year degrees earn. That could be because jobs traditionally held by men, such as engineering and mechanics, often pay more than jobs traditionally held by women.
The research institute also found that men earn more than women in most fields that require a two-year degree or certificate. The median salary for a female childcare worker, for example, in 2010 was $18,336, compared with $23,716 for men. It noted female elementary and middle school teachers earn about 91 percent of their male counterparts, and females in health-related occupations, such as nurses or home health aides, earn about 88 percent of men in this jobs, despite making up about 80 percent of workers in those fields.
Smits said wages are good in both traditionally male or female occupations, depending on the field. NWTC surveys students six months after graduation who are working in their chosen profession.
The most recent survey found that dental assistants, who are almost always female, earned an average of about $26,000 in 2011.
Those working in the diagnostic medical sonography field, which also is dominated by women, made about $61,000 that year. Nurses made about $47,000, and administrative professionals started at $27,000 a year.
Those graduating from the electrical mechanical engineering program, a traditionally male field, made an average $57,600, she said.
“I think both men and women can earn good salaries and we encourage them to think of it as the start of their career, rather than as a job,” she said.
From wsau.com: “MSTC celebrates nursing milestone” – WISCONSIN RAPIDS – A nursing program that has trained the people who may take your vital signs or draw your blood when you go to the doctor’s office is celebrating 1,000 graduates.
The program at Mid-State Technical College began as a partnership with Waukesha County Technical College for the first two years. Mid-State enrolled its first students in 1991. The program saw its biggest growth between 2001 and 2005.
“It’s a milestone not only for the students, the faculty, but it’s also for our whole community,” said associate nursing dean Mary Moss.
The school will hold a public celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. in the A building on the Wisconsin Rapids campus. There will be brief presentation at 5:30 p.m. Nursing students and faculty will show off a simulated mannequin they train on and other equipment they use in the progrm.
“Our graduates of this program have directly impacted health care here in central Wisconsin,” said faculty member Linda Olsen.
More than 90 percent of the nursing graduates work within 60 miles of the Mid-State district.
The school’s student nurses association is asking you to bring a can of food to the celebration. All donations will be given to a local food pantry.
MATC training brings Oak Creek programs together
April 27, 2012
From oakcreek.patch.com: “MATC training brings Oak Creek programs together” – A training exercise ongoing at Milwaukee Area Technical College provides a pretty good glimpse at what goes on at the Oak Creek campus.
The situation is this: a (fake) person fell out of a tree and had to be hospitalized, which put nursing students to work. After he got out, he got his hair done, got some cosmetic services, saw a dietician. All things taken care of by students in those particular fields.
On his way home, however, he got into a car accident, which was staged Thursday on the west end of the campus, 6665 S. Howell Ave.
Students training to become police officers, firefighters and paramedics responded. The crash required extrication of two mannequins, a car fire that needed extinguishing, CPR and a police investigation.
The person — played ably by a talking mannequin — will later have complications in the hospital and die, necessitating the work of students training in the funeral services field.
The exercise shows how the MATC programs work together and helps build collaboration among disciplines, officials said.
Thursday’s two-hour training also included two Oak Creek paramedics who lent their services and an ambulance.
Mid-State nursing program celebrates 1,000 graduates
April 10, 2012
From voiceoffwr.com: “Mid-State nursing program to celebrate 1,000 graduates” – With the addition of this spring’s graduating class, Mid-State Technical College’s Nursing program will achieve the milestone of 1,000 graduates in the history of the program. A public celebration will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 3 in the A Building on the Wisconsin Rapids Campus, 500 32nd Street North. A brief presentation is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the adjoining gymnasium. Members of the community are invited to attend this free event.
Participants will be treated to guided walking tours of nursing facilities, student activities and projects, door prizes, trivia, refreshments and snacks, new classroom technology, and a free blood pressure screening. Attendees can also explore historical nursing equipment and memorabilia displays, see how the Nursing Station works, and meet Sim Man (simulation mannequin).
Mid-State’s Board of Directors added nursing to the college curriculum in 1989 through a partnership with Waukesha County Technical College. This first Nursing class celebrated commencement in May 1991. After receiving approval from the Wisconsin State Board of Nursing, Mid-State enrolled students into its own program beginning the fall semester of 1991, conferring its first graduates in May 1993. The Nursing program expanded in 2000, 2002, and 2003 and currently admits 40 Nursing associate degree students per semester as well as eight practical nursing students per year. More than 90 percent of Mid-State Nursing graduates are employed within 60 miles of the MSTC district.
Mid-State Technical College’s Student Nurses Association encourages participants to bring a can of food to the May 3 event. All food proceeds will be donated to the local food pantry.
FVTC: Expansion would help job training
January 19, 2012
From fox11online.com: “FVTC: Expansion would help job training” — GRAND CHUTE – Fox Valley Technical College and area businesses believe the economy will only go up from here.
“Gaining technical skills in this economy is really how we see the future evolving,” said Christopher Matheny, vice-president for instructional services at FVTC.
Its part of the reason Fox Valley Tech is pushing forward with a $66.5 million referendum, to expand its ability to train workers for more skill-specific jobs.
“Do they possess the skills for the job itself, the hard skills and the soft skills, the how well do they interact with others, the people skills and the critical thinking skills,” said Al Hesse of the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board.
Just as important is giving already skilled workers even more job specific training as technology continues to evolve. Nursing students aren’t just training for today, they’re preparing for the future in an ever-changing industry.
“It’s very difficult for healthcare providers to keep up on their skills unless there is some additional training that’s done and through the use of simulators we can create situations that maybe are not common in the providers workplace,” said Bob Sternhagen, human patient simulation coordinator for FVTC.
The goal is to close the skills gap for the highly specific jobs employers are looking to fill.
“Where do we have a large calling for and where is the strongest demand at,” said Hesse.
Hesse says in the Fox Valley area employers are looking for skill-specific workers in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, transportation logistics and diesel technology. Through the referendum Fox Valley Tech will address some of those needs through a $12 million healthcare technology center, a $6 million transportation center expansion and a new $35 million public safety training center on land leased at the Outagamie County Regional Airport.
Employers say helping students meet those demands is what’s driving our economy forward.
“They need to be “re-tooled” to get into the new job market and get those skills they need to be competitive,” said Hesse.
Walking out of class and into a job
December 21, 2011
From weau.com: “Walking out of class and into a job” – For some students graduating this week walking into the classroom two years ago was scary. Students say they’re confident especially since the college says it has a 91% job placement rate.
More than 200 students from the Chippewa Valley Technical College walked across the stage at Zorn Arena to get their diplomas and hopefully walk into a job.
“I do have something lined up and I start my new position on Tuesday,” says Nursing Graduate Heather Post.
Post graduated from CVTC with a business degree in 2003 but says after getting married and becoming a mom the job market a few years ago wasn’t looking good for her.
“In business there weren’t that many positions in the area so I decided to go back to school into something where I thought could be growing,” says Post.
“I lost my job the company moved they left Eau Claire and I was left hanging. I looked for a job for about two months and couldn’t find anything that was on a comparable pay,” says Kevin Kademan who’s graduating in Machine Tooling Technics.
Kademan says he went from working in the real world as a truck driver to heading back to school to learn how to tool machines.
“I think it’s a pretty cool feeling. I am knocking on 40′s door here and I am graduating from a higher education institute,” says Kademan.
CVTC says many of the students graduating started classes after already being in the workforce and are looking to change their careers because of the economy. It says the school has one of the highest job placements rates of all the state’s technical colleges. CVTC says 86% of graduates are in jobs related to their training compared to 71% of the Wisconsin Technical College system.
“It’s a great day, it was a lot of hard work it’s a great feeling to know we’re done and move on and use that education,” says Post.
The school says most of the graduating students, more than 60%, land jobs and stay right here in the Chippewa Valley.
Northeastern Wisconsin finds nursing balance
October 31, 2011
From greenbaypressgazette: “Northeastern Wisconsin finds nursing balance” – Recession and the continuing difficult economy put nursing shortages in Wisconsin on hold, but it’s a situation not expected to last.
In the meantime, there seems to be a balance in Northeastern Wisconsin between nursing graduates and available jobs.
Bellin College in Bellevue and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay each reported near 95 percent placement rates for recent graduates.
It might take a little longer to land a job, and it might not be the preferred category or work shift, but the jobs are there, said Kay Tupala, dean of Health Science at NWTC.
“We are not hit nearly as hard by the nursing shortage as you are seeing in other urban centers across the United States,” said Matt Rentmeester, vice president of development and public relations at Bellin College.
NWTC graduates about 150 students annually, Bellin College graduates 90 and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay graduates 70, though its most recent class had 83 graduates.
MATC-Reedsburg hits a growth spurt
October 6, 2011
From wiscnews.com: “MATC-Reedsburg hits a growth spurt ” – Madison College’s Reedsburg campus is breaking new ground. Literally.
Construction is set to begin on two new science labs, a new teleconference room and a student achievement center starting Nov. 1, almost doubling the size of the campus at 300 Alexander Ave.
John Alt, executive director for the Reedsburg campus, said the expansion will lead to increased class sizes and new courses for area students. With a waiting list that can stretch up to two years for nursing students, Alt said the addition is essential to student success.
“Needs are changing, both for students and employers,” Alt said. “We need to have space to offer those specialty classes employers want and to keep our students ahead of the curve. It’s really a just-in-time thing.”
The addition, plus remodeling in the current building, which was built in 1978, will cost more than $2 million.
The money for expansion was secured last year via referendum, with voters agreeing to allow Madison College to borrow up to $133.8 million total for renovations at Madison College campuses that serve 12 counties.
CVTC gets nearly $2 million grant to help healthcare program
October 4, 2011
From weau.com: “CVTC gets nearly $2 million grant to help healthcare program” – Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) will receive $1.9 million from the Department of Labor for the Bridges2Healthcare grant, which focuses on targeting displaced workers to improve necessary knowledge, skills and credentials to achieve well-paying employment. CVTC will offer more classes within many healthcare programs, including Nursing-Associate Degree and Medical Assistant. The College will also offer more General Educational Development (GED) certificate preparation, along with job-ready boot camps on computer literacy; career exploration; job-building skills, such as resume writing and interview skills; and study skills. CVTC will be working with Workforce Development, Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley and Dove Healthcare to help achieve the goal of serving 500 people in the next three years.
“It’s vital for CVTC to find alternative funding such as the Brudges2Healthcare grant,” stated Bruce Barker, CVTC president. “With decreasing state aid, this grant will help close the gap, allowing CVTC to do its part to boost our local economy with well-trained employees.”
“This grant will help build the bridge within the growing healthcare industry, and it will also get people back into the workforce,” commented Margo Keys, vice president of Student Services. “It’s about creating pathways. From encouraging those to get their GED, to those who may already be a certified nursing assistant, it’s about encouraging them to continue their education to take the next step in their healthcare career.”
“We are thrilled to combine our various strengths to do the most to help those in our community maximize their success and get jobs,” Mary Beth Kelley Lowe, Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley executive director commented. “Having our organization be a part of this will help CVTC students succeed.”
Former nursing instructor helps elderly patients
July 19, 2011
From the Wisconsin State Journal: “What I Do: Maria Brenny-Fitzpatrick helps the elderly when they are admitted to the hospital” – I’m the co-founder and team leader of the UW Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Interdisciplinary Consult Team. The team consists of geriatricians, pharmacists, physical therapists, social workers and me as the advanced practice nurse.
We see patients age 65 and over who are admitted to the hospital. The majority of the patients are in their mid-80s, but we have seen patients as old as 102.
Hospitalization can have a detrimental effect on the older patient and puts them at greater risk for possible complications of weakness, adverse drug effects, infections and confusion or delirium.
My role with the ACE teammates is to assist the UW care providers with the care and management of these patients to prevent complications. The reasons my team is consulted include mental status changes (delirium, dementia, depression), medication issues including drug interactions, mobility (falls, balance issues), nutrition/feeding issues, pain, incontinence/constipation and caregiver concerns.
FVTC students receive scholarships
June 30, 2011
From Waupaca Now, “Bestul receives nursing scholarship” -- The Riverside Health Foundation has awarded $10,000 in scholarships to nine Waupaca-area residents who plan to pursue careers in healthcare. Jordan Bestul of Manawa is one of the recipients.
“By awarding these scholarships, we help support health care education for our future providers and honor the legacy of those who have served our community,” said Steve Huhta, president of the Riverside Health Foundation. “We are proud of these hard-working students as they continue their education and pursue careers in healthcare.”
The board administers three scholarship funds that were established to honor Dr. Marshall and Mary Boudry; Isabelle Rowe; and Nancy B. Salan.
The Isabelle Rowe Nursing Scholarship was established to assist non-traditional students in pursuit of an education leading to a career in nursing. This year three recipients received $1,000: Kelsea Moore, of Scandinavia, plans to attend UW-Fox Valley; Jordan Bestul, of Manawa, plans to attend Fox Valley Technical College; and Corinne Lund, of Wild Rose, is attending Fox Valley Technical College.
The Boudry Health Career Scholarship, established by the Boudry family, hopes to expand health care opportunities by encouraging promising young scholars to fulfill career goals in medicine. This year three recipients each received $1,000.
