Nursing college students work with Kristen Abbot-Anderson within the SIMS lab.
In November 2021, the College of Wisconsin-Eau Claire acquired a $9.4 million Workforce Innovation Grant from the Wisconsin Financial Growth Corp. Because the grant involves an finish, Interim Chancellor Michael Carney thanks these concerned for what he known as the unbelievable accomplishments that have been achieved.
“Thanks for knocking it out of the park,” Carney instructed the group that attended a reception and poster session commemorating the top of the grant on Aug. 25. “We far exceeded the unique parameters, the unique objectives that have been arrange.”
The aim of the grant was to encourage expertise growth and nurture a workforce within the essential areas of well being, schooling and financial growth all through northwestern Wisconsin.
UW-Eau Claire, together with Mayo Clinic Well being System – Northwest Wisconsin, developed 4 pillars designed to enhance the well being and financial vitality of rural communities.
Pillar one addressed workforce shortages, particularly in nursing, schooling and social work. Pillar two centered on creating new majors and applications to offer upskilling alternatives for healthcare careers. Pillar three checked out methods to innovate rural well being care supply, and pillar 4 was designed to assist innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly for rural small companies.
Attaining the objectives set forth in these 4 pillars meant it was going to take a collaborative effort throughout the college, and that’s precisely what occurred, in keeping with Dr. Carmen Manning, dean of the Faculty of Well being and Human Sciences.
“It’s actually nice to go searching this room and see there are individuals from throughout the whole college,” Manning instructed these gathered on the reception. “It’s a large testomony to the character of this work and tells us the methods during which we will transfer ahead collectively and do fairly superb issues.”
Key accomplishments by way of the grant
All through the course of the Workforce Innovation Grant, UW-Eau Claire has launched the next new tutorial applications:
- Grasp of public well being.
- Grasp of science in train physiology.
- Psychiatric psychological well being nurse practitioner observe program.
- MBA in healthcare administration.
- Bachelor of sciences in skilled research.
- Speech-language pathology assistant certificates.
- Particular schooling transition to educating pathway.
- Navigating Well being Programs certificates.
The next current tutorial applications have been up to date and/or expanded all through the course of the Workforce Innovation Grant:
- Up to date the grasp of science in nursing – nurse educator program from in-person to hybrid format.
- Elevated conventional bachelor of science in nursing by 60%.
- Program expanded with a rise within the variety of college students admitted by 60%, which translated to 48 further college students per 12 months.
- Invested within the Faculty of Nursing’s Scientific Studying Middle with bodily area reworking, set up of an immersive actuality simulation lab and buy of the most recent simulation know-how, together with high- and low-fidelity mannikins.
In an effort to reveal college students to rural communities throughout their schooling journey:
- Over $1.6 million in scholarships have been offered to scholar lecturers and social work interns who accomplished their placement in rural areas, totaling greater than 600 college students supported in rural areas.
- 5 rural micro-immersion journeys accomplished by 150-plus UW-Eau Claire college students in rural faculty districts.
The Workforce Innovation Grant has allowed us to develop the efforts of the college’s Small Enterprise Growth Middle, together with:
- Pupil employment alternatives for 20-plus college students as “scholar consultants,” serving over 1,100 completely different small companies all through the state.
- Service to purchasers in 59 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.
- Eight completely different small enterprise clinics on location inside rural areas to assist native enterprise house owners.
- Recognition for the SBDC’s efforts to offer equitable entry to capital for Wisconsin entrepreneurs, together with:
- 2023 Wisconsin High Rural Growth Initiative – Rural Small Enterprise Clinics.
- 2023 Wisconsin Financial Growth Affiliation’s Financial Growth Award: SBDC’s Capital Entry Clinic.
- 2025 Wisconsin High Rural Growth Initiative – SBDC Capital Entry Clinic.
Collaboration on the Workforce Innovation Grant with Mayo Clinic Well being System:
- Growth of the bachelor of science in nursing by 60% by way of the implementation of devoted schooling models. The progressive DEU mannequin allowed for constant will increase in scientific capability in smaller hospitals the place accommodating massive numbers of scholars had been a problem.
- Creation of the preventative well being specialist function, an built-in mannequin, combining the perform of a group well being employee, well being educator, scheduler and care coordinator, aimed to reinforce rural healthcare capability by upskilling employees, constructing group partnerships and adapting digital instruments to deal with affected person wants. The function is supported by the Navigating Well being Programs certificates at UW-Eau Claire to make sure a long-term pathway of educated patient-centered well being professionals.
- Growth of a resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem in rural northwest Wisconsin by bridging academia, healthcare and group stakeholders. By means of workshops, hackathons, pitch competitions and clinician engagement, innovation in healthcare and enterprise is promoted to deal with post-COVID challenges.
Written by UW-Eau Claire
Hyperlink to unique story: https://www.uwec.edu/stories/workforce-innovation-grant-reaches-successful-conclusion
