A New Kind of Employee in Aging Services for Minnesota
Susan Speetzen, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
The US Census estimates that by 2030 Minnesota’s elder population will increase by over 100%, while the traditional care-giving workforce (women aged 25 to 44) will increase by only 4.8%.
In an effort to train more workers for aging services, the Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance, (MHHA) is working to introduce the Health Support Specialist (HSS) Registered Apprenticeship Program to their members.
This program began at North Central Kansas Technical College as a DOL Registered apprenticeship program funded through a CBJTG grant.
MHHA has formed partnerships with a number of other state agencies as well as Central Kansas Technical College & Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
They have selected 11 pilot sites to initiate the training this fall and it will be available to other facilities soon after. Eventually it will be available to all interested nursing homes in the state.
This new employee model provides a career ladder for frontline workers with standardization and recognition, yet allows for customization.
It’s designed around a “household model” with self-lead teams. It includes 386 hours of theoretical instruction, 2500 hours of on-the-job learning and takes into account the knowledge and training of existing staff.
Classes will include Medical Terminology, Dietary Services, Environmental Services, CPR, Advanced Dementia Care, Culture Change and CNA training.
Completion of all steps will result in a Registered Apprenticeship Certificate and earned credits through a community or technical college. The results are: a career ladder, better & more skilled healthcare workers, and reduced barriers to employment and training.
Workers gain: increased self-esteem, increased wages, college credit, a Registered Apprenticeship Certificate, loyalty to their employer, and the encouragement to remain in healthcare.
Lastly, employers benefit from a higher quality of resident care, a way to train employees to fit their needs, a reduction in recruiting costs, higher retention rates, reduced turn-over costs, and higher morale among employees!
