from Sanford Health through 2033. For the last three years, Sanford Health has delivered sports medicine expertise to the Harrisburg School District. Two athletic trainers and a certified strength coach have served on-site to:
Prevent, evaluate and treat injuries
Monitor injury rehabilitation
Improve strength and performance
Consult with physicians and coaches
In addition to these continued services, students and school staff will have access to walk-in and after-hours care at the Sanford 69th & Minnesota Acute Care and Orthopedic Fast Track Clinic in Sioux Falls.
SANFORD ASPIRE PROGRAM Four pillars guide the studentcentered career development strategy at Sanford Health: discover, explore, experience and develop. Through a partnership between Sanford Health and the Harrisburg School District, students can learn about health care careers at a level tailored to their age group. “The students in our communities are the future of health care,” said Paul Hanson, president and CEO of Sanford Health. “Investing in our future health care workers gives us a platform to continue providing quality health care to our families, neighbors and friends for generations to come.”
Elementary students: Programs like Sanford fit and other youth career exploration events encourage elementary students to develop socially and emotionally, fuel their passion for learning, make healthy choices, and discover a wide variety of health careers early on.
THE BRIDGE | SUMMER 2021
Middle school: Keeping middle school students interested in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) is important for a future career in health care. Sanford PROMISE is dedicated to creating authentic science experiments that facilitate STEAM exploration. Impactful learning experiences are available through summer camps at Sanford Research and hands-on activities on the Sanford PROMISE website.
High school: The high school clinical intern program at Harrisburg High School (HHS) offers students interested in a health care career the opportunity to find their place at Sanford Health. Piloted in the spring of 2019, the program helps students join Sanford Health after obtaining their certified nursing certificate (CNA) through coursework completed at HHS and other partnerships. Once CNA certified, students complete the HHS internship prep course. During the course, they apply, interview and are selected for a CNA position. They then spend 100 hours interning at Sanford Health.
Another innovative experience for high school students is Sanford MedX. This free program offers health care career exploration through facility tours, expert presentations and hands-on activities. Lyric Oslund, a Harrisburg alumna who participated in both high school programs, said, “The opportunities and network I gained by participating in the Sanford programs opened more doors than I ever imagined. I am succeeding in my college coursework and have the clinical experiences to make assignments much more relevant. I am very thankful for all of the skills I gained while interning and learning at Sanford Health.” Sanford Health is proud to support the city of Harrisburg and continues to look for future opportunities to make a difference in the community.
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