Graduate in 2.5 years: UMR partners with Google Cloud, Mayo Clinic on accelerated degree program
University of Minnesota Rochester is preparing to welcome its first cohort of students for NXT GEN MED, a new accelerated degree program in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and Google Cloud. The first-of-its-kind program begins this fall, with a limited number of spots — and opportunities for significant scholarship dollars — still available.
Students who participate in NXT GEN MED will receive a world-class health sciences education by leveraging UMR’s immersive approach to learning with cutting-edging technology from Google Cloud and mentorship from Mayo Clinic. Students will also be put on a path toward graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in just two and a half years.
In offering the accelerated approach, UMR hopes to create a redesigned experience that drives down costs, and drives up results. As part of the program, students will graduate in seven semesters, not eight, and will be guaranteed a paid internship at Mayo Clinic.
The goal, according to NEXT GEN MED Faculty Director Andrew Petzold, is to support students who want to enter the workforce on a faster timeline — particularly in the high-demand fields of digital health, data and analytics, human-centered design, and project management.
“There’s a lot that goes on in health care that is not patient facing, and this a real opportunity for students to do that, ranging from figuring out how to deploy a vaccine in a global pandemic to looking at how patients interact with physicians through telemedicine,” says Petzold.
Petzold says the ideal students for the program are individuals who are curious, collaborative, and highly motivated — noting that the accelerated path is a year-round program.
“ “This is higher ed’s challenge — to adapt in real time to what is needed in the workplace and in society. That’s what we are doing with this program.””
Beyond significant scholarship dollars, NXT GEN MED students will be supported by a student success coach and dedicated faculty members. Each NXT GEN MED student will be linked up with a student success coach who will serve as an advocate throughout their time at UMR.
“Success coaches help guide students academically through the program,” explains Petzold. “They also help students navigate the college environment.”
Akhil Kollengod, a 2022 Mayo High School graduate, is among the students who have already signed up to be part of the program’s first cohort.
Kollengod says he made the decision to enroll in NXT GEN MED after participating in last year’s NXT GEN MED Summer Quest program, where he toured the UMR campus, stayed in the residence hall at 318 Commons, met UMR professors, and heard from experts at Mayo Clinic.
“It was super interactive and hands-on, which I am a big fan of,” says Kollengod. “It also opened my eyes to some fields in health care that I had never thought about.”
Akhil Kollengod
While 60 percent of UMR four-year graduates go on to graduate school, Chancellor Lori Carrell anticipates that the accelerated NXT GEN MED model will attract students who are eager to start their careers sooner.
To ensure students are ready to meet that challenge, Carrell says UMR solicited input from Mayo Clinic and others to understand future workforce needs and the core competencies they were looking for in prospective employees. The feedback revealed the needs to focus on skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and intercultural competence, in addition to industry-specific knowledge.
“This is higher ed’s challenge — to adapt in real time to what is needed in the workplace and in society,” says Dr. Carrell. “That’s what we are doing with this program.”
Like with the first-ever UMR class in 2009, Carrell expects the students who participate in NXT GEN MED to be trailblazers — not only in the U of M system, but throughout higher learning.
To that end, UMR has partnered with Google Cloud on a digital platform that will not only create a one-stop-shop for the students’ learning experience, but also track data, allowing UMR to continue doing what it has done through its existence — adapt and innovate.
“These students will shape and mold the program for classes to come while we continue to do the necessary work to fill health care workforce needs with students who are prepared for a wide range of careers,” says Chancellor Carrell.
NXT GEN MED is a limited access program with a few spots remaining for the fall 2022 chort. To qualify for NXT GEN MED scholarships, apply today to the BSHS program using the Common App or the Raptor App and complete the NXT GEN MED Supplemental Application.
