Fulton Montgomery Community College addresses shortage of U.S. healthcare workers with a variety of programs
- Post by Sara James
- September 9, 2022
Fulton Montgomery Community College addresses shortage of U.S. healthcare workers with a variety of programs
An aging population creates two serious healthcare crises.
Baby Boomers play a dual role in the current nursing shortage. First, they represent a large percentage of the current workforce, and they are retiring in droves, leaving a vacuum in the field. In addition, as they age and require more health care, Baby Boomers are significantly increasing the patient population. These two factors exacerbate an already unprecedented shortage of healthcare workers. Today, there are 12 nurses per 1,000 New Yorkers. While that puts New York’s nurse to patient ratio on par with the U.S. in total, it still represents a significant gap in healthcare.
Many nursing schools not equipped to address the high demand for skilled healthcare workers.
According to the journal Chief Healthcare Executive, “nursing schools across the country are struggling to expand capacity to meet the rising demand for care given the national move toward healthcare reform.” Like nursing and a dozen or more other industries, many nursing schools are experiencing worker shortages as well. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing found that U.S. nursing schools rejected 80,407 applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019 “due to shortages of faculty members, clinical sites, classroom space, and clinical preceptors.”
Fulton County Community College (FMCC) provides programs for students to enter health care field.
FMCC President Greg Truckenmiller, Ph.D. has compared the school’s accredited healthcare programs to crown jewels. “We always have a waiting list to get into our nursing program, and those who graduate from move into excellent jobs. We typically have one hundred percent pass rate in the nursing program.”
Clinicals are a large component of nursing and other healthcare programs. Students get to work in a hospital or primary care setting where they receive firsthand experience with various types of cases and perform the types of procedures that they need to become familiar with. FMCC’s partnerships with local healthcare facilities means students training in these facilities have one-on-one mentorship. The school has also partnered with hospitals to develop term trainings in nursing adjacent fields, such as medical administrative assistants, phlebotomy, and radiologic technology.
FMCC Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs Dan Fogarty, who heads the College’s Business and Community Partnerships notes, “There’s a shortage for healthcare workers all around. We want hospitals and doctors’ offices to know that FMCC can help fill their workforce needs. Our individual studies programs started out mainly as a help to the health field industry. It’s still very much that.”
Is your industry facing a shortage of trained workers?
From healthcare to manufacturing and brewery, FMCC partners with businesses to train local talent. On the Business and Community Partnerships Center’s new website, employers can stay informed about campus services including apprenticeships and workplace training. Interested businesses can schedule an onsite or virtual meeting to provide information about training requirements and workforce needs. If the business seems like a good fit, FMCC has the capacity to develop short-term training certificates or apprenticeships to meet those requirements and fill vacant positions with skilled employees.
From strategically situated shovel-ready sites to a high quality of life, to workforce training partnerships, Fulton County is a prime location for building or growing a business. Learn more about the advantages of our workforce and opportunities for workforce development by contacting Dan Fogarty at 518-736-3622 Ext. 8302 or email him at daniel.fogarty@fmcc.suny.edu.