“This partnership is wonderful,” says Saint Therese of New Hope’s Director of Nursing Stacy Lind, RN. “The students are able to develop relationships with the residents and their families, and to gain experience in a challenging arena that requires strong technical skills for the complex care needs of the patients.”

Sheila Ness, RN, who is coordinating the program at Saint Therese, says students quickly discover the challenges of long-term-care nursing. “There is much more autonomy required, which means you need strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to quickly prioritize. The students are excited to be a part of that and see a team work together in a holistic way to help the resident and their family.”

At Catholic Eldercare, Director of Nursing Carla Frantz says the long-term-care nurse may lack the resources and staffing backup of hospital colleagues. “It might be late at night and it’s you at the resident’s bedside talking with the physician on the phone. And that’s just one of many residents under your care. So you need superb assessment skills to ensure that resident gets quality, effective care.”

Passionate about Senior Care

While the program is still in its infancy, nursing students are embracing senior care through this real world exposure that dispels often negative stereotypes about aging. “ What I’ve heard about senior care and what I’ve seen and experienced are totally different,” says Hayat Osman, a student at Catholic Eldercare. “I want to work with seniors most definitely. They’re so nice and appreciative.”

Jackline Ongechi, a student at Saint Therese, says she’s gaining confidence and will graduate much better prepared. “I’ll be more confident and ready to take care of patients, clients or residents,” she says, “without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated by the challenges. I’m getting the tools I’ll need to work as a geriatric nurse.”

Student Lindsay Angove, also at Catholic Eldercare, quickly recognized the challenges in caring for the elderly. “The older population has 60 plus years of health history so keeping their health up-to-date is very important. Whereas a newborn baby has three days of health history. The differences are huge! It is an amazing opportunity and I would not pass it up.”

Partnerships like this at the state and local level may prove to be the most effective way to improve and expand the long-term-care workforce, according to the National Commission on Nursing Workforce for Long Term Care. “There’s a lot of talk nationally about this partnering idea,” says Marilyn DuBay, Catholic Eldercare’s Education Coordinator, “but we’re actually doing it and it’s working well.”

Commitment to Innovation and Excellence

Saint Therese of New Hope and Catholic Eldercare are among the affiliates of Catholic Senior Services, the Archdiocesan network established to help develop additional senior care resources. As such, the providers are on the cutting edge of innovations to enhance service to a rapidly growing and vulnerable population.

“In this field, providers are constantly looking at ways to enhance our delivery of care,” says Saint Therese CEO Barb Rode. “Fostering innovation and collaborative programs, like this one, ensures the highest possible standards are taught and maintained in the field of geriatric care. This partnership is one such example that will likely spread throughout our field as the senior population grows. It is another avenue for our community to educate and advocate for increased quality of care for elder adults everywhere.”

“This is a great generation to serve and we are constantly reminded why we selected nursing,” says Catholic Eldercare CEO Mary Broderick, a former nursing educator at College of St. Catherine. “The seniors are very grateful for all we do, so it’s a blessing to know them and to serve them during their later years.”

“We’re pleased to see that this new program already is exciting the students about the challenges and rewards of long-term-care nursing as a career, and that’s what we want to see,” Broderick adds.

Available for Interviews:  Mary Broderick, CEO; Barbara Rode, CEO  Catholic Eldercare Saint Therese New Hope/Oxbow Lake  Please call 612-782-8551 to arrange interviews.

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