News Release Essentia Health
Essentia Health is excited to announce Academic Practice Partnerships with Northwood Technical College in Superior, the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Lake Superior College in Duluth and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in Hayward to invest in the future of nursing at Essentia.
Partnerships such as these are essential in our journey to achieve Magnet Nursing Designation, the highest credentialing for nursing facilities in the United States.
The main goals of these partnerships are to foster innovative educational experiences for nursing students at Essentia; advance nursing knowledge to improve and support the health of individuals and their families through research and evidence-based practice; address nursing workforce needs at Essentia by supporting a smooth transition of graduates into practice; and address shared problems as they emerge.
“To guarantee that the upcoming generation of nurses thrives in the current health care workforce, we are honored to partner with all these schools,” said Rhonda Kazik, Essentia's chief nursing officer. “These interactions with faculty members and relationships with nursing students will support our Magnet Nursing journey and help ensure our facilities hire qualified nursing students which leads to excellence in patient care and outcomes.”
“Academic Practice Partnerships provide an opportunity for collaboration on the advancement of nursing, development of innovative practice environments and enrichment of the academic experience,” said Laura Kitch, Essentia’s Magnet Nursing program director. “These partnerships can foster innovations in our health care settings, leading to the advancement of health within the communities we serve.”
To address workforce shortages in health care, Essentia has formed similar partnerships with Minnesota State University Moorhead, the University of Minnesota, the University of Mary and North Dakota State University.
These partnerships and opportunities provided by Essentia exemplify our investments in the growth and development of the nurses and communities we have the privilege to serve.
About Essentia Health
Essentia Health’s mission is to make a healthy difference in people’s lives. We relentlessly pursue that mission at our 14 hospitals, 73 clinics, six long-term care facilities, three assisted living facilities, three independent living facilities, six ambulance services and one research institute. Essentia has about 14,700 employees, including more than 2,100 physicians and advanced practitioners who provide expert, compassionate care. We’re privileged to serve patients in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.