This real-life scenario was demonstrated by Northeastern Junior College nursing students using clinical simulators during a hands-on experience at the nursing lab on Thursday that was part of the RISE Road Show's visit to campus. During the event, NJC gave policymakers, education and workforce leaders an up-close look at its renewable energy and nursing programs and shared how funding from Gov. Jared Polis' RISE (Response, Innovation and Student Equity) grant has helped the programs grow and expand.
During opening remarks, Rebecca Holmes, President and CEO of Colorado Education Initiative, explained that the RISE grant came about during the pandemic when the state came together to figure out how to support students, learners, communities and families differently. It allowed K-12 institutions and postsecondary to seek flexible funding for innovative solutions to improve education and provide students with more resources to be successful.
"We invest in programs that put people to work, change lives and careers, that's really what we're about," NJC President Mike White said, sharing that NJC used the RISE grant to provide technology that gives real-world experience in the form of nursing simulators, to develop a renewable energy certificate and create a renewable energy mobile lab so that high school students can have access to the programming without having to leave their school, and to help reduce barriers to obtaining a higher education.
During the tour of the nursing lab, Julie Brower, director of the nursing program, spoke about the three ways the RISE grant benefited her department. It allowed them to be able to hire a full-time nurse aid coordinator, which increased the quality of their program and allowed them to increase the number of CNA (certified nursing assistant) classes they offer each year. The grant also helped the nursing program reach out to diverse students by working with Jamie Giacomini, adult and community education director, to enroll English Language Learner (ELL) students and purchase Spanish textbooks for the CNA class. From that, they were able to hire two bilingual nurses who are teaching a CNA class.
With the addition of the full-time position and the growth they've seen, the nursing department is also adding a medication aid program for CNAs as a new career advancement opportunity. Classes for that will start in January.
Most importantly, the RISE grant helped Northeastern purchase its simulators, which include a birth simulator, a pediatric simulator and two adult simulators. Using the simulators students can do everything from listen to heartbeats and breathing sounds to insert a catheter and their patients are even able to talk to them and answer questions.
Instructors shared that the simulators are invaluable because they help students grow their confidence and figure out what they still need to learn while realizing just how much they already know. Plus, it's a great place for students to apply what they've learned in the classroom.
Nursing students commented that the simulators help make them more comfortable, teach them time management, provide valuable hands-on experience outside of the classroom and allow them to work on their critical thinking skills.
"I like simulation because it is a place for me to make errors and not have to worry about killing the patients," Brandon Williams said.
Before watching a demonstration of the birth simulator, the group heard from Jennifer Garcia, a student who benefited from the RISE grant and in May will be graduating with an RN (Registered Nursing) degree. From California, she was working a dead-end job when her sister was accepted into NJC's program and encouraged her to enroll. After taking a job at Sterling Regional MedCenter as an inventory associate to make sure that healthcare was right for her, she fell in love almost immediately and went to work earning her CNA degree.
"Being from out of state it's been very difficult for me," Garcia said, explaining that the cost for her to attend Northeastern is much higher than a student who has lived here all of their life. "I wasn't sure I would be able to afford it and then came the RISE grant. It just lifted this great burden off me and I was able to focus all of my time and attention into preparing my skills."
"I am very grateful to the RISE grant for everything it has given me because I feel that I have a purpose," Garcia added, sharing that she plans to work in the community when she graduates.
Next, Giacomini shared how for years, she and Brower discussed how they could partner with students coming in, who often come from a country where they were a veterinarian or a doctor but now they need to get the skills and credentials to be able to work in the United States. Through the RISE grant, they were able to remove the financial barrier for some of the students and it also helped them create an integrated education and training program.
Northeastern found a cohort of students whose language proficiency was just enough that they could have a basic conversation but they needed language skills specific to a CNA, which they got through a customized English training that was developed. The college also worked with them on workforce preparation skills like communication, time management, learning cultural differences, etc.
"It was great to finally pilot this program that we'd been trying for so long to get together," Giacomini said, adding that now those students are recruiting others to the CNA program.
Next, was the simulation, which involved a pregnant woman who came in stable but started deteriorating with her heart rate and blood pressure showing signs of distress and her oxygen level dropping. She then experienced an eclamptic seizure due to high blood pressure and when the mother awakened it was determined she was in labor. The mother went on to deliver a healthy baby girl, who was examined for any problems and vaccinated.
After the simulation, the group heard from Shelly Griffith, CEO of Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center, one of Northeastern's main clinical sites for both nursing and CNA students.
"We rely heavily on (NJC) to help train CNAs, individuals who are looking to pursue an entry point into the medical field," she said. "The beauty of NJC is they have been able to flex some schedules and be able to accommodate those who may need to be working full-time while they are looking to grow their career options."
NJC's program is especially critical given the shortage of healthcare workers. Griffith shared Eben Ezer has a need for 20 CNAs right now,
"What's happening is the demand for our service is significant and so people are having to go on a wait list, which means that many people, their needs are not being met because nursing homes throughout the rural communities are not able to meet that need because of limited staffing levels," she explained.
Following her remarks, guests had a chance to try out the simulators themselves.
The day ended with a panel discussion that included Tamara Durbin, executive director of Northeast Colorado BOCES; Kyle Stumpf, Superintendent of Holyoke School District; Danielle Ongart, Executive Director of Colorado Department of Education's Student Pathways; and Misti Ruthven, Director of Education and Training Innovation for the Office of Governor Polis.
They talked about the importance of career connected learning as it benefits both students and the economy by opening students' eyes to career opportunities they might want to consider. Stumpf mentioned the success of his district's internship program.
The group also talked about some of the barriers that exist to providing this, the biggest being cost, especially in northeast Colorado where it costs a lot to transport students from their school to another school that offers the program they're interested in. There is also the challenge of trying to ensure all students have equitable access. Durbin pointed out that students who live in northeast Colorado need to have the same opportunities available to them as those on the Front Range.
During a question and answer session with the audience, Trae Miller, executive director of the Logan County Economic Development Corporation, pointed out that internships and apprenticeships sound great but the state requirements that go into those and the reporting aspects create a barrier for businesses to participate in those programs. He also shared that students need help with basic skills such as showing up on time and learning how to take instruction.
Ongart suggested there needs to be a regional entity in place to help students and businesses navigate this, so it doesn't all fall on the district or the business, and Stumpf mentioned his district teaches a class an hour a day with all of those skills and they also provide businesses with funding to help offset the costs of doing an internship.
State Sen. Byron Pelton asked why the state is reinventing the wheels with apprenticeships, instead of learning from what's in place now. He said his frustration with recent legislation regarding apprenticeships is "you're going to have a lot of outside forces that are going to try to do their best to send it one way or the other when we need to just worry about the entire workforce, not just a little part of it; we need to worry about the entire workforce." Pelton pointed out in two years, half of Colorado's electrical trade will be retiring, "so we've got to get more people in there," he commented.
He also said would like for time in college courses to count toward credit for both college and high school, which he plans to introduce a bill to require.
"We realize the importance of apprenticeships and we have challenges in trying to determine those opportunities for youth in high schools and have that be seamless for them," Durbin said, adding that it's something they are working on.
©2023 Journal-Advocate, Sterling, Colo. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
