Leaders gather to celebrate new Lakeland, Moraine Park nursing program
More than four dozen healthcare professionals and community leaders joined Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez Monday to help Lakeland University and Moraine Park Technical College formally celebrate their new nursing program partnership.
Beginning this fall, students can simultaneously enroll in both schools on their way to earning an associate degree in nursing from Moraine Park Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Lakeland in four years.
Lakeland President Beth Borgen and MPTC President Bonnie Baerwald signed documents making the partnership official, and joined Rodriguez and the program’s first student, Lakeland’s Paige Kirchmeier, in sharing thoughts about the program.
The need is clear. The Wisconsin Hospital Association’s 20th annual workforce report found that growth in Wisconsin’s nursing workforce is behind the growth needed to meet current and future demand.
Rodriguez, a nurse and experienced healthcare executive who has worked in various leadership roles for over 20 years, said Wisconsin needs 20,000 nurses by 2040. She chairs the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce to find solutions to the current shortages in Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce.
“This is a problem we need to urgently solve,” Rodriguez said. “What I am seeing here today will go far. Programs and partnerships like these will help us solve our healthcare challenge.”
Rodriguez said she often visits with CNAs who want to be nurses but can’t juggle everything to reach their goal.
“It’s great to see you are meeting students where they are,” she said. “I get excited talking about these innovative solutions. This fantastic partnership will be able to train the next generation of nurses.
“A nursing degree opens so many doors for you. You can truly do anything.”
Students enrolling in the program will supplement classroom learning through clinical placements via MPTC’s partners and Lakeland’s Cooperative Education program.
“No other program in the state compares and here's why,” Borgen said. “Between MPTC's clinical training and Lakeland's Cooperative Education program, students have the opportunity to rotate through a number of nursing disciplines to be able to solidly explore those disciplines, find their interests and make better decisions about their futures, all while getting paid work experience with college credit attached.”
Students can take classes at both institutions simultaneously and take the licensure examination for registered nurses (NCLEX – RN) the term they complete the bachelor's degree in nursing.
For Lakeland, the program addresses the challenge of turning away students who wanted to compete in athletics and pursue a career in nursing.
“As much as they wanted to play, they were not going to enroll at Lakeland if they couldn't also pursue their dreams of becoming nurses,” Borgen said. “And, since many of them come from out of state to play sports, they were also not going to relocate to enroll at Moraine Park.”
Baerwald noted that there will be 8,000 nurse openings in the next decade in the region served by MPTC. She noted that MPTC graduates often look for an online school to finish their bachelor’s degree, and frequently their employer will pay for their tuition.
Kirchmeier, a graduate of nearby Plymouth High School, enrolled at Lakeland two years ago as an exercise science major. She started working as a CNA at Rocky Knoll Health Care Center in Plymouth, Wis., through Lakeland’s Co-Op program, and said she’s excited to have an opportunity to switch to a career in nursing without having to change schools.
Learn more about the program at Lakeland.edu/nursing.
