NXT GEN MED: UMR to offer accelerated approach to health sciences degree
As health care delivery continues to evolve, the University of Minnesota is embarking on a novel partnership that will combine cutting-edge technology, research, and immersive learning approaches to educate the next generation of health leaders.
Beginning in summer 2022, the University plans to collaborate with Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic on an accelerated offering that will leverage unrivaled cloud capabilities, world-class medical expertise, and an education setting renowned for its commitment to equity.
For prospective students, the pilot program, to be administered at the U of M’s Rochester campus, comes with the potential to reduce the traditional four-year degree to just two years. It also offers students the unique opportunity to participate in a fast-paced, high-tech learning environment that includes hands-on experiences and mentorship at Mayo Clinic.
“The world of health care is dynamic and exciting. It demands new and creative ways to educate and prepare the next generation of leaders,” says University President Joan Gabel. “As challenging as the times are that we find ourselves in, they also offer us the rare opportunity to try something entirely new. NXT GEN MED will deliver our Rochester campus’ accessible, innovative and affordable instruction with immediate, real-world application.”
UMR Chancellor Lori Carrell says phase one of NXT GEN MED will serve as a pilot for the new Google/Mayo partnership, with 50 students expected to take part in the program’s first cohort
Those students will be trailblazers, she says. By participating in the first class, they will not only receive an exceptional education experience, they will be at the forefront of re-envisioning the future of health care in the Med City and beyond. Carrell notes the possibility the program could inform a breadth of future curriculum at UMR and across the U of M system.
“Our campus purpose is two-fold,” says Carrell. “One is producing these world-class graduates in health science, and doing so in an equitable way. And the other is to contribute to the transformation of higher education.”
Carrell adds that a combination of factors, from creative professors to its proximity to Mayo, make UMR the right campus to demonstrate an inventive model to health education.
Now in its 12th year, the University’s active-learning approach has been nationally recognized for achieving high graduation rates, job placement, and equity in educational outcomes.
Carrell says those lessons will be incorporated into the NXT GEN MED program, to be designed by UMR faculty this summer. In addition to delivering a rigorous academic curriculum, the University wants the program to deliver some of the softer skills that are equally as important to a quality education.
“Our graduates need to be ready to keep up with technology, while also emphasizing and growing their human capacities, like creativity, curiosity and compassion,” says Carrell.
The announcement of NXT GEN MED comes amid increasing demand for health care professionals.
By 2029, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the U.S. will add about 2.4 million new health care jobs compared to the previous decades. Many of those jobs, industry leaders say, will require candidates with a grasp on the changing nature of health care
“Our future workforce will be comprised of graduates from innovative educational programs like this,” Cathy Fraser, Chief Human Resources Office at Mayo Clinic, said of NXT GEN MED.
Planning has begun for NXT GEN MED Summer QUEST — a learning immersion experience for rising high school seniors in Summer 2021.
Over time, the program will scale up to serve many more students. High school students who will be seniors this fall can register online.
For more information, go to the program website.
