ST. LOUIS PARK, MN / ACCESSWIRE / November 28, 2022 / Senior living organization Saint Therese is partnering with Rasmussen University - Bloomington to help train the next generation of nurses. In October, Saint Therese began hosting nursing students for their clinical rotations at three of its communities - Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake (Brooklyn Park), Saint Therese of Woodbury, and Saint Therese of New Hope.

The students are in the Registered Nurse (RN) program at Rasmussen's Bloomington Program which includes its campuses in Bloomington, Hennepin/Anoka (Blaine and Brooklyn Park) and the Lake Elmo/Woodbury campus. In total, 24 students will do their training from Oct. 17 through Dec. 2 at Saint Therese communities. Clinical rotations involve nursing students interacting with patients under the supervision of a Rasmussen instructor.

Saint Therese and Rasmussen have worked together in the past at individual communities, but this new partnership strengthens the relationship because students will be at all of the senior communities.

'We're very excited about this new partnership because it exposes students to working with older adults and the often complex and unique experiences they can have caring for this population,' says Lisa Kalla, chief operating officer for Saint Therese. 'And of course, with the workforce shortage in all of healthcare, we want to do our part to train students who may eventually want to work in senior living and for Saint Therese.'

More than one in five U.S. adults will be over 65 by 2040, according to the 2020 Profile of Older Americans, by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the population of older adults in the U.S. continues to grow, education-to-practice pipelines like the Saint Therese-Rasmussen University partnership help address the increased need for elder care.

'The older adult population is growing and according to the U.S. Census, 10,000 people are turning 65 every day until 2030. It is imperative that our nurses understand preventive care as well as acute health care of this very important population,' says Dr. Savitri Dixon-Saxon, senior vice president and provost at Rasmussen University. 'People aged 65 and older account for more than one-third (35%) of U.S. health care spending. Hospitals are sending home patients to long term facilities that traditionally would remain in the acute care setting of a hospital. Saint Therese offers an amazing window into how nurses can help deliver care to this population.'

Rasmussen nursing students will spend one day a week at Saint Therese for 13 weeks. Rasmussen University has 22 campuses nationwide, including seven Minnesota campus locations in Bloomington, Eagan, Hennepin/Anoka (in Brooklyn Park), Lake Elmo, Mankato, Moorhead and St. Cloud.

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About Saint Therese: Founded in 1964, Saint Therese prides itself on its rich tradition of providing exceptional care for seniors in and around Minneapolis-St. Paul. It has locations in New Hope, Brooklyn Park, Woodbury and a new location in Corcoran, opening in 2024. Most communities provide the full continuum of care from independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and transitional care. It also has a location specializing in hospice and palliative care in Shoreview. It is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) senior care organization.

Media Contact:

Barb Hemberger, 612-669-0381
barbarah@sainttherese.org

SOURCE: Saint Therese