St. John’s United is pleased to announce that Miles Community College (MCC) has been named as St. John’s Business Partner of the Year for its considerable efforts in furthering St. John’s mission of providing living opportunities within nurturing environments of hope, dignity, and love.
Every year, St. John’s United recognizes an outstanding organization for its significant efforts in furthering St. John’s mission and this year that business happens to be an educational institute. Miles Community College was instrumental in the creation, implementation and success of SJU’s Nursing Apprentice-Fellowship Program.
The Nursing Apprentice-Fellowship Program provides college tuition payment and health care work experience at St. John’s for exceptional students pursuing LPN, RN and BSN degrees. The program is designed to cultivate, support, and advance the development of health care professionals, specifically, nurses and certified nursing assistants, to serve in St. John’s communities, hospitals, and other health care contexts.
Miles Community College is an integral part of this workforce development program. Not only does MCC offer nursing degrees, they hold student applicant slots each year specifically for St. John’s apprentice-fellows. Because of this effort, four applications who meet the necessary academic requirements are guaranteed entrance into their nursing program. For many applicants, this makes the nursing program more accessible, ultimately cultivating more future healthcare workers.
St. John’s United is incredibly grateful to MCC for their commitment to the Nursing Apprentice-Fellowship Program and couldn’t be happier to proclaim them “Business Partner of the Year” for 2020 and looks forward to working together to produce nurses for generations to come.
“We are truly honored and excited about receiving this award from St. Johns United” commented MCC President, Ron Slinger. “At MCC, we work hard at cultivating and maintaining strong industry partnerships. The one we have between St. John’s United and our Nursing Program is truly outstanding. We are so grateful for this relationship and the first-hand experience they provide our students.”
“St. John’s United is pleased that this apprentice fellowship program will help to meet the critical need for health care professionals in our region,” said David Trost, President and CEO of St. John’s. “We designed the program to make it possible for students to pursue a career in nursing, receive on-the-job training, and graduate free from tuition debt. A year ago, the Montana Youth Apprentice Partnership (MYAP) reviewed the program and announced that it qualifies to be registered as an official apprenticeship program within the state of Montana. This approval, combined with our valued partnership with Miles Community College, adds high credibility and points to the program’s value to our entire state.”
Founded in 1939, Miles Community College (MCC) was established as the first community college in the state of Montana. Nestled in the heart of Miles City, the two-year college offers a bustling campus with on-site housing, a full athletic program, and a state-of-the-art Ag Advancement Center and offers quality programs including nursing/healthcare, agriculture & equine studies, business, information technology, education, and more.
St. John’s, founded in Billings in 1963, today employs 700 people and provides residential living options and human services for over 2,500 older adults in several Montana communities. These residential options and services include independent living apartments, assisted living, skilled nursing care, memory care, home health care, hospice care, spiritual care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and at-home assistance.
For more information, contact Tom Schlotterback, Vice President of Mission Advancement at St. John’s United, at (406) 655-5332, Karen Miller, Director of Communications at St. John’s United, at (406) 633-5457 or BeKa Stein Phipps, Marketing & Campus Communications Coordinator at Miles Community College, at (406) 874-6155
