As part of an ongoing partnership with the United States Army, two Saint Paul College staff members recently attended the Medical Center of Excellence army education tour at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. During this tour, Sharon Blomgren and Brady Malecha could see first-hand the excellent technology in place by our military to train the next generation of medical professionals and bring some of these ideas back to Saint Paul College.
Brady and Sharon compared the army’s training center with the Saint Paul College Simulation Center. They found them to have many similarities and were able to identify new examples of applying these training tools in the educational environment. Both training facilities used advanced, interactive manikins in adult and infant models. The army took the tools we both have and exponentially raised the bar of what is possible to learn in simulation. While their facilities are much larger, our tools are very comparable. Staff learned that we could move manakins out of beds and put students through scenarios they may face in real-world conditions. The training is fast, interactive, and highly memorable. Training facilities viewed included Surgical Tech, Anatomy, Respiratory Therapy, OB, Nursing, Dental, Combat Medicine, and Veterinary care that covers careers in healthcare, logistics, security, and IT.
They explored lucrative career opportunities in the medical field, including options for civilians to enter the military, with sign-up bonuses of $30K+ for many medical fields. They also learned about lifelong benefits with as little as three years of military service. The partnership between the US Army and Saint Paul College is an important partnership for future training opportunities as shared by Dr. Susan Larson from the US Army:
Brady Malecha and Sharon Blomgren were fantastic additions to our recent Minneapolis US Army Recruiting Battalion tour of Fort Sam Houston. They asked excellent questions and their enthusiastic engagement set conditions for a closer working partnership with the Active and Reserve US Army. We are delighted to showcase current Army medical careers and education in the upcoming Scrubs Camp hosted by Saint Paul College.
Dr. Susan Larson
ESS
USARB-MSP
Saint Paul College provides top-notch medical training opportunities throughout the year, including:
-
Scrubs Camp, a four-day hand’s-on training with fully-weighted manikins. This event will be held July 25-28 and is already filled with 120 students.
- HOSA – Future Health Professionals Mid-Winter Conference to be held on January 4, 2023, where the college will host 325 Minnesota high school students who want to learn more about the medical field and are seriously pursuing careers in medicine.
- In response to pandemic-related emergencies, we hosted
medical training opportunities in partnership with the Minnesota National Guard.
The
Saint Paul College Simulation Center for Health Science Programs is an excellent training tool that has helped many students earn medical certificates and degrees which prepare them for medical careers or further schooling.
