Maintaining a sustainable workforce is essential to providing health care in rural communities. Without it, hospitals, clinics and senior living facilities are forced to operate at limited capacity, discontinue essential services and even close locations entirely.
The
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
projects the U.S. will need an additional 139,000 physicians, 69,000 mental health counselors and 337,000 registered nurses to join the workforce by 2036.
Similar shortages are projected for other health care careers, including respiratory therapists, licensed practical nurses, addiction counselors, pharmacists, OB/GYNs and more.
To tackle this challenge, it is paramount that health care providers not only address the workforce challenges of today through competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits but also invest in the workforce of tomorrow by encouraging health care career exploration for all ages and reducing financial barriers to health care education.
At Sanford Health Bemidji, we work closely with local schools, colleges and universities to offer students several opportunities to gain firsthand experience. The Sanford Bemidji MedX program gives middle school and high school students the opportunity to explore a wide variety of health care careers throughout the school year through hands-on activities, tours and presentations led by local professionals actively working in their fields.
also provide middle school and high school students health care career exploration through firsthand learning experiences, tours of hospitals and departments, staff interactions and more. This summer’s camps include Sanford Health Care Career Exploration Day in Bemidji on June 26.
Students in grades 7-12 are welcome to
for this free exploratory opportunity. Sanford Bemidji Medical Center will also be hosting Native Americans with Stethoscopes Camp on June 29. The inaugural event will allow area students the opportunity to meet and hear from Native American healthcare professionals while engaging in hands-on activities.
for the free event is currently available.
This past fall, we were excited to partner with Bemidji High School and Northwest Technical College to open a
within Bemidji High School. Offering this nursing assistant training on-site at the high school opens the door for many students to pursue their interest in health care and position themselves to be hired into a nursing role following graduation, no matter their access to transportation or financial barriers that may exist.
In addition to these opportunities, the
offers students of all ages a wide range of Sanford campus tours, school visits, job shadowing opportunities, informational interviews with healthcare staff,
clinical and non-clinical internships,
speaker panels, volunteering opportunities,
and career coaching sessions for students exploring or pursing healthcare careers in northern Minnesota.
Sanford Health Bemidji is proud to partner with regional medical schools, including the University of Minnesota’s Rural Physician Associates Program, Des Moines College of Osteopathic Medicine, the University of North Dakota and Dartmouth College, to prepare their students for practice in rural communities.
Through these partnerships, students engage in an immersive year-long experience living in Bemidji while learning firsthand from local clinicians in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine OB/GYN, surgery, psychiatry and emergency medicine.
In partnership with Hennepin Health Care and the University of North Dakota, we also host their emergency medicine, psychiatry and surgery residents for a rural rotation. These residents spend a month in Bemidji learning about practicing medicine and life in rural communities. Rural rotations like these have been shown to favorably influence a physician’s choice in practice location.
Understanding that finances may be a barrier for students, Sanford Health offers 12 different
to individuals within northern Minnesota, many of which offer multiple scholarships annually. In 2023, over $30,000 in local scholarships were awarded to current employees, their families and community members who are furthering their health care education and careers.
Sanford Health also offers local
that help cover tuition and other expenses for students and current employees pursuing careers in high-growth professions.
Virtual and in-person sponsorship programs are available in 15 different specialties, including certified medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, medical laboratory technicians and scientists, certified nursing assistants, nuclear medicine technologists, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, radiologists, registered nurses, respiratory therapists and surgical technologists.
As a strong supporter of lifelong learning, Sanford Health also offers additional financial assistance through the Sanford Health Tuition Reimbursement Program. This aide is available to all current employees who are continuing their education in a field that will enhance their contributions to our organization and those we serve.
The future health of our community depends on our ability to attract and develop health care professionals. Though there are many ways that we can attract people to move to and stay in northern Minnesota, a huge part of retaining them depends on the connections employees have with the community itself.
Strong community ties contribute to a sense of belonging, alleviate professional isolation and enhance their quality of life. In turn, they help ensure our health needs are consistently met by health care professionals that community members know and trust.
Thank you to everyone who helps welcome new employees to our area and continues to work toward making our community a place where people want to live and call home.
I’m proud of the many career exploration, financial assistance and employment opportunities that we can offer in northern Minnesota and look forward to extending our partnerships with local educational institutions to help support health care education and careers close to home.
Karla Eischens, RPh, is the President and CEO of Sanford Health’s Bemidji region located in northern Minnesota. She can be reached at
(218) 333-5264
or