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Today on The Home Page Network, Home Page Correspondent Rhonda Pearson sits down with Janie Hilfiger, President of UPMC Susquehanna Soldiers + Sailors and UPMC Cole, and Dr. Jason Zielewicz, Director of Workforce Development at Wellsboro – Pennsylvania College of Technology, to discuss how the two organizations are working together to promote the future of health care in our region.
Janie Hilfiger has been involved with Penn College’s practical nurse or LPN program since it was first offered here in Wellsboro. At the time, she was a nurse and got to work with the students on the floor – watch and help them grow, learn new skills, and start their careers in health care.
During the interview she mentions that Penn College does a great job preparing the nurses through their class work to apply to real-world settings. UPMC is committed to helping these students succeed while also providing them with a quality experience comparable to what they’d get in any city or major hospital.
This learning experience model benefits both organizations as it teaches the nursing students the practical skills and knowledge they need to be a nurse upon graduation, while also providing the nurses acting as their educators with opportunities to teach others and pass on what it takes to be a care provider.
As Janie has advanced in her career, she has stayed connected to the program. Rather than working alongside the students at the bedside, she now advocates as an ambassador to make sure that others understand the value that programs like the practical nursing and other health care service programs offered by Penn College add to the organization.
For many who are interested in a career in health care, programs such as those for practical nursing (LPN), CNA, and EMT are great entry points to test the waters.
Through training and education (often two years or less depending on the program), students are set to join the workforce, and through partnerships like that between UPMC and Penn College they come out with offers often starting shortly after graduation.
In today’s video feature, Dr. Jason Zielewicz gives a tour of the new facilities used in their new partnership in Wellsboro.
The health care industry is and has been facing shortages in our workforce and the problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better in the near future. Today it’s hard enough to recruit nurses and other skilled health care workers in a city, let alone in rural northcentral Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania College of Technology’s health services programs in Wellsboro are helping train our next generation of care providers and they’re doing so right here in our community. By offering these programs locally, students can stay in the communities they grew up in and understand – close to family and friends – while receiving a quality education and gaining the valuable skills they need in facilities with which they are familiar.
Credits:
Videography: Andrew Moore
Video Editing: Andrew Moore
Writing: Home Page Staff
Anchor: Sara Vogt
Correspondent: Rhonda Pearson
Produced by Vogt Media
Home Page Sponsors: UPMC Susquehanna