“It’s definitely created an atmosphere of me being able to pass and not be so stressed financially,” said Asia, a nursing student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. “This is something that a lot of nursing students face.”
Asia is on track to reach a major milestone in achieving her career dreams: graduation from nursing school. A Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Drive for 5 grant is helping her achieve those dreams.
The Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence (CNEE), which is a partnership between the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and the Minnesota State HealthForce Center of Excellence, was awarded a $740,000 Drive for 5 grant from DEED to launch a Pre-Licensure Nursing Apprenticeship pilot program. This pilot allows students to earn while they learn, allowing them to stay focused on their studies and clinical experience.
A total of 32 nursing students from the University of Minnesota, Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Minnesota North College selected for the pilot are serving as paid nurse apprentices at Allina Health and Essentia Health systems, with more expected to start in fall 2025. The students receive a full-time wage and employee benefits. The students work two shifts weekly as nurse apprentices and receive paid release time to attend school. This “earn while you learn” model is making a huge difference for Asia, who is in her final year of nursing school.
“I am a single mom so the fact that we can get paid for our clinical experience was a big deal,” said Asia, who has two young children. “This was a really good opportunity to gain more clinical experience while earning a paycheck. We get paid full time but we only work the 16 hours a week, so we have time to dedicate ourselves to our classroom and clinical studies.”
Asia and fellow nursing students in the pilot began their apprenticeships in the fall of 2024 or spring of 2025. They were assigned apprenticeships in different hospitals or healthcare settings. Asia is working as an apprentice at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in the progressive care unit, which is a transitional care area between the Intensive Care Unit and a regular medical and surgical recovery unit. Asia is looking forward to graduating on May 15. Then she will prepare for the nursing board exam she needs to pass to become a Registered Nurse (RN). Eventually, Asia would like to become a Certified Nurse Practitioner.
“I am a type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed when I was 19, but even before that I wanted to help people and make an impact. I want to do work of compassion,” said Asia. “I’ve always wanted to go into a field that I could give back to and make a difference. After I was diagnosed, I had some really impactful nurses who really helped me and then I knew ‘this is exactly what I want to do’. They made me feel I was not alone. They took care of me and they helped me take care of myself as well.”
In the past, Asia worked as a Nursing Assistant in a nursing home and as a Direct Support Professional in a group home. She enrolled in nursing school to take the next steps on her caring career path.
The Drive for 5 funded Pre-Licensure Nursing Apprenticeship program also provides students with a career navigator to offer individualized support to each apprentice before, during and after the apprenticeship. After graduating and obtaining licensure, apprentices are employed at the health system they apprenticed with.
Abbott Northwestern Hospital is part of the Allina Health system, which is partnering with the University of Minnesota and Anoka-Ramsey Community College to provide paid apprenticeships to Associate of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. In northern Minnesota, Essentia Health is partnering with Minnesota North College to provide Associate of Science in Nursing apprenticeships.
The Drive for 5 grant award funding this Pre-Licensure Nursing Apprenticeship program is part of the nearly $20 million in grants awarded in 2024 as part of DEED’s Drive for 5 Workforce initiative to prepare more Minnesotans for high-demand jobs in the caring professions, education, manufacturing, technology and the trades.
