T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM — UnityPoint Health — Marshalltown Hospital Administrator Shari King gives the Iowa Valley Community College District Board of Directors an update on the apprenticeship program. IVCCD partnered with UnityPoint, McFarland Clinic, UnityPoint Grinnell and Hansen Family Hospital in Iowa Falls to form the program and address a critical workforce shortage.

The first year of a healthcare apprenticeship program offered by the Iowa Valley Community College District has gone better than expected, and the IVCCD Board of Directors got an update on its success during the regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.

UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown Hospital Administrator Shari King, IVCCD Business and Community Solutions Vice President Jacque Goodman and Director of Programming and Student Support Services Becky Hassett gave the presentation.

Utilizing the three-year $451,878 grant from Iowa Health Careers Registered Apprenticeship 2.0, the college created nursing, phlebotomy and medical assistant programs.

“We’ve had so much interest, we have a wait list,” Goodman said. “We have anywhere from 15 to 20 participants wanting to get in.”

The program was started with partnerships with UnityPoint in Marshalltown and in Grinnell, McFarland Clinic and Hansen Family Hospital in Iowa Falls. Due to the interest, Hassett said they formed partnerships with additional entities, such as Oakview Nursing Home in Conrad and Mayflower Community in Grinnell. This week, McFarland Clinic will be ready to begin with a pilot program consisting of four or five medical assistants.

“We’re trying to make sure that as students are completing classes, no matter where their class is at, they have an opportunity to sign on with an employer,” Hassett said.

She said the first seven apprenticeships in the program worked with UnityPoint – Marshalltown in July.

King told the board they were already involved in the nursing program at Marshalltown Community College, and they wanted to expand upon that.

“For a lot of industries, but [especially] healthcare, the workforce pipeline is a big deal, and we need to continue to find ways to do that,” she said. “That was one of the big reasons we wanted to be a part of the registered apprenticeship program, so we could not only enhance our relationship with IVCCD, but also create a workforce pipeline.”

King said they placed most of the focus on the certified nursing assistant (CNA) program because the Marshalltown hospital has had struggles in filling those positions. One of the primary reasons for the struggle, she said, is the presence of the state-run Iowa Veterans Home, which offers better wages and benefits.

“It’s hard to fight that battle,” King said, drawing laughter. “But this was a really good opportunity for us to partner and create a new kind of program. We had never done this in Marshalltown.”

After a few “faltering” meetings, she said it was clear people did not know how to move forward. So, King contacted UnityPoint in Waterloo, which has a similar program with the Waterloo Career Center. That was the jumping-off point, she said, on how to structure the program. In May, they hosted a signing-day at Marshalltown High School (MHS), similar to what colleges do with high school athletes.

“These were students who actually completed the coursework for the CNA program,” King said. “We actually signed 10, and I had no idea we were going to hit double digits. I was sweating, thinking we did not have that many jobs. How were we going to fit everyone in? But we were going to figure it out.”

Out of the 10 MHS students who signed, she said seven started. Of those seven, King said one is proceeding to become a licensed practical nurse and she described two additional apprentices as “rock stars” who have been offered jobs.

“They had very productive six-ish months in getting their feet wet, getting oriented and completing different competencies that they needed to do to demonstrate clinical competence and the ability to fill the role,” she said.

King told the board they are fortunate to have the students, as not everyone is going to fit.

“That’s the reality, and we want to give them as best an opportunity to learn, to grow, to develop their skills and become productive in whatever their field is,” she said. “For a lot of folks, this is a stepping stone. That’s alright, because we want to foster them into more healthcare career advancement if they choose to do that. This is an excellent place to start.”

Board member Paul Pohlson of Grinnell asked King if they expect the apprentices to stay in the CNA positions or eventually move on. King said her gut tells her most will continue to other positions.

“A [CNA] role is often a beginning spot, not unlike phlebotomy,” she said. “We do all of the on-the-job training. But it’s a great jumping-off spot, because it teaches you basic patient care. How do you interact with a patient? How do you do a lot of the basic care? It’s a trampoline to other things, if they choose. You find a handful of career CNAs out there. They are usually spectacular, and they have a real heart for the work, which is why they still do it, because it is hard and fast-paced. They really make connections with their patients or residents.”

IVCCD President Anne Howsare-Boyens commended King for overcoming the initial challenges of beginning the apprenticeship program.

“We saw the list of all of the organizations that followed because Shari and Jacque and the team have stuck with this,” she said.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.