Medical Careers Pathway for New Americans, Other Students
At the International Institute of Minnesota (IIM), a successful, supportive pathway for New Americans and other students to succeed in medical careers has been 20-plus years in the making.
The program's proven track record of student success is thanks to comprehensive, responsive training and coursework, including ESL-integrated instruction, social services support, and bridge coursework, to ensure students are ready for college and are receiving assistance in removing barriers to academic success.
The Central Corridor Anchor Partnership is working with IIM, along with Hennepin County, HIRED, and Project for Pride in Living, on the MSPWin Health Careers Initiative to align regional health care workforce training and employers to accelerate closing racial and economic disparities in the Twin Cities.
Nursing Assistant Training
IIM's sustainable wage and career ladder begins with medical and nursing assistant training through which students are placed in nursing assistant positions with one of 79 employer partners.
Since 1990, IIM has helped to place 2,161 individuals in employment as Nursing Assistants. Of the 2,928 students that have enrolled in the Nursing Assistant Training component of the Medical Career Pathway, 2,686 have graduated and 2,561 have attained certification.
College Readiness Academy
Students who need additional preparation before being college-ready have the option of participating in the College Readiness for Medical Careers, aimed at adults working or interested in a health care career. There are prep classes at Saint Paul College to assist in student preparation for academic success.
“We offer an 8-week summer college readiness course, and a longer 14-week course during the academic year that teach students how to succeed in an academic setting and get ongoing support throughout,” said Jane Graupman, Executive Director of IIM.
"This program has proven successful in achieving student retention in academic programs and supporting students that graduate. It is a pathway to medical careers upgrades, allowing students to work and gain income and experience while participating," explained Graupman.
College Support and Medical Career Advancement
For students seeking to go beyond their current health care career level, IIM provides individualized academic advising and support for students in college and during the early stages of employment. The Medical Careers Pathway program also offers comprehensive financial coaching to help students achieve financial success.
"We are always looking for more students for our programs," said Graupman. "Our message to students who are ready to go to school and need support in the process of laddering up in their health care experience and career path is that we are here to help."
Graupman invites Partnership partners to help spread the word in the community about IIM's Medical Careers Pathways program, enrolling now for the 8-week summer college readiness course and enrolling later in the summer for the fall College Readiness Academy.
College Readiness Academy classes for summer 2018 have already started, but there is still room for some students. Please contact Merle Greene at mgreene@iim.org if you would like to refer a student to a summer program.
Images and data courtesy of IIM.
Finding the Employer Connection Through C3 Fellows
Marcia Gonzalez was born in Ecuador and came to the United States in March 2009 at the age of 16. Gonzalez attended several high schools and felt as though the education system was quite different from where she came from.
“It was really hard to adjust to this country in terms of culture and language,” Gonzalez noted. “Spanish is my first language and English is difficult. I was able to understand it but it was difficult to speak.”
Setting Goals for Direction and Motivation
Gonzalez debated between going back to Ecuador to finish high school or continuingher education here in Minnesota. After deciding to complete high school in the U.S., Gonzalez attended a charter school and began to set goals for herself with a sense of direction and motivation. Her first goal was to learn English and finish high school. Within six months, Gonzalez was able to speak English and ended up graduating high school with a 3.8 GPA.
Pursuing the C3 Fellows Program
Gonzalez then enrolled at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Gonzalez through the Power of You Program (POY). She set her sights on becoming a nurse and working in a hospital. When meeting with her POY advisor, she learned of this new program called C3 Fellows.
Gonzalez started nursing school in 2014 and was able to work in a hospital as a CNA. She reached out to Brian Mogren, the C3 Fellows Program Director at the time.
“The program was so helpful when it came to applying for jobs, improving my resume, and doing mock interviews to learn how to respond in a professional way,” Gonzalez reflected.
“The entire experience of being a C3 Fellow has been so significant for me. Prior to the program, I had applied to so many hospitals and never received a phone call back. I never got an interview. So I thought maybe I was doing something wrong because English is my second language. I thought I needed help but didn’t know where to get it from until I heard of C3 Fellows.”
The Value of Fellowship
The C3 Fellows program allowed Gonzalez to obtain a job at the University of Minnesota Medical Center (UMMC) as a Nurse Technician. By working at UMMC, Gonzalez established a working relationship with key figures including nurses, managers, and supervisors. After earning her ADN degree, Gonzalez was able to reach out to those managers and get hired as a new graduate. In the future, Gonzalez would like to go back to school to obtain her DNP degree.
“C3 Fellows helped me initiate my career in the medical field,” Gonzalez stated.
“In today's world, finding a job right after graduation is difficult especially in the acute care setting. I’m very thankful for the program. In my case it opened doors for my career. I never struggled to find a job as a new graduate thanks to this program that helped me get a job while I was still working toward my degree. I will forever be thankful to the C3 Fellows program for all of the help I received.”