By stabilizing and growing our workforce, we can ensure ongoing access to high-quality patient care within our own backyard while equally introducing the next generation to fulfilling careers within their community.
Lyndsy McIntyre, MSN, RN, MBAValley Regional Hospital, a member of Dartmouth Health, in collaboration with River Valley Community College (RVCC) and ApprenticeshipNH, developed and successfully launched New Hampshire’s first licensed nursing assistant (LNA) registered apprenticeship program for high school students, ages 16-18.
The inaugural class of eight high school students dedicated their summer break to learning and developing foundational healthcare career skills and core professional competencies required for successful employment.
“We are the communities we serve, and it’s Valley Regional’s mission to improve community health, patient experience and value,” said Lyndsy McIntyre, MSN, RN, MBA, chief nursing officer and vice president of operations at Valley Regional Hospital. “By stabilizing and growing our workforce, we can ensure ongoing access to high-quality patient care within our own backyard while equally introducing the next generation to fulfilling careers within their community.”
Applicants participated in a robust selection process, and the selected individuals were hired as Valley Regional employees. The apprenticeship included multiple teaching models, including classroom work, clinical lab simulation hosted by RVCC, and clinical rotations at Valley Regional. The 8-week program culminated with a licensing exam with a 100% successful pass rate for all students.
“My LNA apprenticeship has created a positive benefit for my future goals because it has created a solid foundation of patient care and how to work in a hospital setting,” said Brianne Robertson, LNA student apprentice.
“I have so many good things I could say, but overall, this program was great,” said Cara Bouchard, LNA student apprentice. “I knew I wanted to get into healthcare, and this program helped me tremendously and made me so excited for the future.”
According to the New Hampshire Healthcare Workforce Coalition, by 2030, almost one-third of Granite Staters will be over the age of 65, and a large part of this population will require long-term services and supports at some point, either at home, an institution or community-based setting.
“ApprenticeshipNH is pleased to partner with Valley Regional Hospital, RVCC, and area high schools to provide an important and essential healthcare career pathway in the Sugar River Valley region of New Hampshire,” said Mary Ann Gaschnig, high school developer at ApprenticeshipNH. “We look forward to our continued collaboration in providing workforce development opportunities in healthcare and other industry sectors.”
There is currently grant funding for a variety of healthcare career paths. To explore healthcare career opportunities, please visit vrh.org/careers.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.