For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD – Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) have entered a partnership that will advance the development of the health care workforce by providing new education and training opportunities for students.

The partnership is focused on UWSP’s academic programs with MCHS’s clinical training opportunities, and to further develop UW-Stevens Point’s health-related programs by having the Health System’s input on program development, to assist with the recruitment and retention of talent in northcentral Wisconsin.

“UW-Stevens Point and Marshfield Clinic have both been regional leaders for more than 100 years. We’re committed to responding to needs of the communities we serve. This partnership will further strengthen our ability to meet the growing need for health-related professionals to serve central and northern Wisconsin,” said Chancellor Bernie Patterson.

An aging health care workforce and statewide staffing shortfall makes this partnership especially important and timely. The Wisconsin Center for Nursing projects a shortage of 1,000 nurses annually.

The MCHS Scholars program will identify top-performing students in health-related fields at UWSP who have an interest of staying in the region after graduation. Scholars will receive tuition assistance and have additional training and mentoring opportunities.

“Marshfield Clinic Health System and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point are partnering to strengthen the health care workforce in Northcentral Wisconsin by offering valuable training opportunities and financial assistance,” said Marshfield Clinic Health System CEO Dr. Susan Turney. “This not only will attract good students to UWSP, but people who want to remain in the area and become valued members of their communities.”

An advisory board of health care and education professionals across northcentral Wisconsin will be established to provide advice and direction to UWSP. This advisory board will include MCHS representatives who will have input into strategic planning, make recommendations on new programs, and increase advocacy and awareness about health education.

Demand for positions in the health care industry continues to increase as the aging population in northcentral Wisconsin grows. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, those ages 65 and older will increase by 640,000 people, or 72 percent, in the state by 2040. The population is rapidly aging in rural areas and is most pronounced in the northern half of the state.

Marshfield Clinic first trained medical students in 1927 when it began a preceptorship program with University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The university will also host a health careers camp for high school students each summer beginning in 2019.