US could soon be down 100K health care workers. Local colleges have prescription to fill the gap.
MacKenzie Thompson, who is enrolled in Memphis Medical District Collaborative's Hire Local Program, is working toward her licensed practical nursing certification. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Two years ago, a free, six-week program got 20-year-old Mackenzie Thompson certified as a nursing assistant and helped her secure a job in the cardiology department at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
Her career options are expected to increase even more this fall when Thompson graduates from a licensed practical nursing program at Tennessee College of Applied Technology.
“One of my goals when I graduated from high school was that I did not want any debt,” Thompson said. “My tuition(s) for LPN school and CNA school were paid for, and I got a stipend so I could just focus on school.”
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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