Growing Rural Healthcare Locally

Alomere Health and Alexandria Area High School are celebrating 10 years of collaboration helping students envision a career in healthcare: The CAPS Healthcare program.

The CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) Healthcare program is a hands-on healthcare career curriculum that brings real-clinical experience directly to high school students. The goal is simple: show young people what a career in healthcare actually looks like before they ever have to choose a college major or take on tuition debt.

In addition, rural healthcare in Minnesota is facing a serious workforce shortage. The state is projected to be short more than 7,000 nurses by 2035, and health systems across the country are currently operating with 3.2 million unfilled positions.

The CAPS program goes well beyond a typical classroom. Alomere providers visit the school to lead hands-on sessions where students practice skills like emergency intubation, suturing, casting, and simulated childbirth. Students also tour Alomere’s hospital and clinic facilities, and those who are serious about a healthcare career can access job shadowing and one-on-one mentorships with working professionals.

The results speak for themselves. 90% of graduating students from the program report that they are pursuing or are currently working in a healthcare career. One former student, Wyatt Odland, is now in medical school. “The CAPS Healthcare program was my gateway into the medical field,” Wyatt said. “What began as a simple exploration class ignited a passion that led to four years as a CNA, a biochemistry degree, and now medical school. Touring healchcare facilities, and learning directly from physicians gave me a significant advantage over my peers in college and throughout the medical school application process. I can’t recommend this class highly enough for students with even a slight interest in healthcare.”