Fruita Hospital offers a unique Nurse Training Program

FRUITA, Colo. (KJCT) – A US Healthcare Labor reporter from Mercer projects a gap of 10,000 registered nurses needed by 2026.

Family Health West, through grants and a partnership with Colorado Mesa University, is offering a special education program in the hopes of closing this gap.

President and CEO of Family Health West, Dr. Korrey Klein, said their institution did see a decrease in staff a few years ago.

“We saw a lot of turnover in the hospital staff coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them were leaving the healthcare profession, some of them moved to other places,” said Klein.

Klein, and Vice President of Human Resources, Kimber Barnes, began to draft a plan.

“We have a lot of local talent. How do we get them to the point where they can move on in their careers or move up in their careers and join the healthcare team at the level that they wanted,” said Klein.

According to Barnes, they started working with programs such as Western Healthcare Alliance, Colorado Hospital Association, and the Health Career Advancement Program. From there, their Nurse Training program was born.

The program allows students, current hospital staff, and those interested in exploring a new career path are eligible for the program.

“For a fee, we of course pay that education piece, and then a potential apprentice comes on board. They agree to do the education piece online outside of work hours and then they get the opportunity to work in that job, learn the skills, and earn a paycheck while they go through school,” said Barnes.

Barnes said online and in-person course options are available depending on someone’s student and/or employment status.

Klein said before the program, there were 80 job openings. Last fall, after the program’s inception, there were 12.

“We went from staff shortage to almost staff surplus,” said Klein.

While the program benefits those new to the healthcare industry, Klein said they have seen an impact on current staff as well.

“Those people have sparked a re-interest in learning that is passed on to our existing employees, some of them who have been here a very long time,” said Klein. “It kind of marries our past, our current, and our future all together.”

According to Barnes, there is almost a 100% retention rate with the program, giving them hope that it can work outside the healthcare industry.

“I can foresee this being kind of the future, especially in healthcare or any industry,” said Barnes. “All you need is some employees that are willing to share their skills and spend some extra time and you know, grow the next generation and pass down their skills. And we found that people embrace that. They want that opportunity.”

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