LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) – A new collaborative effort aims to streamline professional licensure for students and quickly move them into the state’s health care workforce.
“Demand is at a critical stage. The shortage of health care workers has been a topic of conversation for about 20 years, when I was an undergraduate in college. “It’s definitely showing up in terms of demographics, both in terms of people getting older and needing more health care services,” said Dan Herres, secretary of professional services in the Department of Safety.
The collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services and the Wisconsin Technological University System includes a Licensed Educator Access Portal. University staff will be able to monitor student progress through the license application process.
“This is a portal that allows our education partners to directly access our licensing system and perform limited functions within that system. This means that we will be able to obtain graduation certificates in bulk and will streamline the licensing process. It allows us to get started even faster,” says Herth.
Roger Stanford, president of Western Technical College, said he has never seen such an increase in demand for medical care in his 32-year career.
“What we have to do is get enough people interested, show them a great path, and get them jobs. There’s never been more openings in the field. When you look at EMTs, when you look at fires, when you look at law enforcement, these are all licenses,” Stanford says.
Jerez says the partnership is a big step forward, but there’s more work to be done.
“Population growth, the growth of qualified professionals, and the growth of the broader workforce are not keeping up with the demand for services. That means we need to work smarter. is what we are trying to do in this sector. It also means we need to train more professionals and attract more professionals into the workforce,” says Jerez.
Late last year, Wisconsin DSPS announced similar partnerships with the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, providing a jump-start into the program to train health care students on their respective campuses.
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