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Innovative Nursing Education Collaboration Addresses Shortage of Long-Term-Care Nurses, Enhances Professional Skill Sets for Grads

Cutting edge on-site, applied learning model a solution for coming Age Wave needs

Minneapolis, Minn. - Several Catholic organizations in the Twin Cities are collaborating to craft a solution to the growing national shortage of long-term-care nurses, a worrisome trend as the 78-million baby boomers fuel a veritable Age Wave that will challenge the culture on many fronts.

The College of St. Catherine, Catholic Eldercare in Minneapolis and Saint Therese New Hope, both partners in Catholic Senior Services, are planning and pioneering an on-site nursing education program that they hope also attracts more students to the long-term-care field.The goals are to educate more nurses with real world, applied learning experience, so they’re more fully equipped for that first job.

The Challenge

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, long-term-care-job needs will grow by about 800,000 by 2010. But challenges persist to meet this growing demand. A bottleneck at nursing schools cause some qualified applicants to be turned away. And senior care providers compete with other areas of healthcare, such as hospitals and specialty clinics, often seen as more attractive and high-tech with higher salary potential.

Solution? A New Model

On a typical weekday morning, the closely supervised nursing students gather at Saint Therese of New Hope to observe and learn about the special nutritional needs of the geriatric patient. Later, they go on rounds with their instructor and staff mentor to meet residents who always enjoy the visits. At Catholic Eldercare, another group of future nurses reviews the signs of dehydration in the older adult. All of the students are dressed in crisp, white nursing uniforms and enthusiasm is in the air.  

Nearly two dozen College of St. Catherine nursing students are spending most of their academic year away from campus, receiving their education at the senior care campuses. The students are immersed in the real world, experiencing the demands and joys of long-term-care nursing by observing experienced senior care staff and appreciating the interdisciplinary team approach, so necessary in caring for older adults who face diverse medical, cognitive, and safety challenges.

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