The healthcare industry has been experiencing a shortage of staff for the past few years, and trying to recruit nurses and doctors to live and work in a small rural facility can be quite a challenge. The administration at Callaway District Hospital understands this reality all too well. That is why when they were given an opportunity to partner with an educational program that introduces soon-to-be professionals to the rural environment, they were all in.

The Kearney Health Opportunities Program (KHOP) is a cooperative program between the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). The purpose of the program is to recruit and educate students from rural Nebraska who are committed to returning to rural Nebraska to practice healthcare.

“About two years ago we made the decision to enroll in the KHOP program,” explained Callaway District Hospital CFO Caleb Poore. “The main reason we decided that was to put in place a long-term solution for recruitment and retention for the Callaway hospital. The KHOP program truly touches every health program - it is not a short-term solution, so we put short-term solutions in place such as hiring bonuses and reimbursements.

“The best solutions come when you can get people into your hospital and they can experience your culture and your patient relations. They feel a sense of home and they don’t want to leave. The days of just posting a position and waiting for people to apply are almost over; we have to go out and recruit people.”

About a year ago the KHOP representatives in Kerney reached out to Callaway District Hospital and asked to host a student rotation at the facility. One details were in place in March, students from all seven of the college programs came to the hospital and toured each department.

Nursing, public health, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physicians, physician assistants, medical laboratory science, and radiology students were represented in the Callaway with a total of 36 students. “These people are halfway through their program and were wanting to learn a little bit more about the rural setting,” Poore explained.

The group included a lot of students from the region who were on-site at the Callaway Hospital all afternoon. “It was a very beneficial program. We actually had three of the four RNs that would have applied to this hospital today. We saw the value of it and hope to do it again in the very near future. They got a completely different experience by visiting our site as opposed to just clicking a button on the website or looking at us on a map.”

Poore said as the students visited each department they were not only able to see the facility but also ask questions about the benefits of practicing in a rural setting. “It really yielded a relationship and a long-term benefit for our hospital,” he added.

Brett Eggleston, CEO further added that the hospital is planning a career fair event with the local schools this Fall.