Students explore health care careers at M State Fergus Falls camp
M State’s Fergus Falls camp gave grades 10-12 students hands-on exposure to health care just as local employers posted openings for nursing assistants, RNs and long-term care nurses.
Certified nursing assistants, nursing assistants, registered nurses and long-term care nurses were among the most visible openings in Otter Tail County’s health care job market as M State brought students into its Fergus Falls campus for a hands-on look at the field. In Fergus Falls alone, Lake Region Healthcare listed 50 jobs, including nursing assistant, phlebotomist and registered nurse roles, while Otter Tail County Public Health was accepting applications for a full-time long-term care nurse at the Government Services Center on Fir Avenue West.
That staffing pressure framed the Healthcare and Science Camp on the M State Fergus Falls campus, where the college invited students entering grades 10-12 to explore health care and science careers. M State thanked participants in a social media post, saying, “Thank you to the students who joined us for the Healthcare and Science Camp on the Fergus Falls campus! We loved sharing hands-on experiences, exploring healthcare careers and giving a glimpse of college life. We hope to see you again soon!”
The camp fit a long-running role for the Fergus Falls campus, which M State says has offered academic programs in liberal arts and health services for more than 60 years. For students, that meant more than a campus tour. It meant seeing what it feels like to step into a college setting while trying out the kinds of work that fill local hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities.
M State has built other youth programs around the same pipeline. Its Scrubs Camp gives students a closer look at health careers, and HOPE Camp extends that early exposure to students from rural communities considering college and health care pathways. HealthForce Minnesota also runs Scrubs Camp programming for students, showing how the Fergus Falls camp fits into a wider effort to move teenagers from curiosity to career planning before graduation.
The local need is easy to see in the job market. Indeed listed 738 health care jobs in Otter Tail County, including nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse and occupational therapist openings. Those listings, along with county and hospital hiring pages, point to the kinds of jobs that could benefit first from students who already know what the work looks like and have seen a college path into it.
For nearby employers such as Lake Region Healthcare, Otter Tail County Public Health and long-term care providers across Fergus Falls and the rest of Otter Tail County, that early exposure could help shape the next round of applicants long before they reach the hiring office.
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