Climbing out of Poverty to Fill the Nursing Shortage

While the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic fades for many, healthcare facilities nationwide continue to face a shortage of nursing employees. Wyoming is experiencing a lack of qualified healthcare workers, illustrated by it being one of the top five states in the nation with nursing facility staffing shortages over the past two years. 

Climb Wyoming is one organization addressing that issue by combining efficient, customized training with a potential workforce source: low-income single moms.

“In Gillette, 88% of graduates utilizing food stamps before Climb show a decrease in dependence two years later,” said Dane Joslyn, Program Director of the Climb Wyoming Gillette office. “Completing our program helps fill an industry demand while helping these single mothers achieve financial independence.”

Achieving self-sufficiency

Climb Wyoming is an organization focused on helping low-income single mothers achieve self-sufficiency through career training and placement. Since its inception in 1986, it has offered nearly 500,000 hours of on-the-job training to single mothers. Those efforts have improved the lives of 20,000 children and saved the state of Wyoming $117 million through decreased dependence on public assistance programs.

There are six locations throughout Wyoming. The Gillette office focused on training programs in northeastern Wyoming like short-haul truck driving, warehouse technology and healthcare. The Gillette office has served 341 moms and 732 children through intensive job training, raising their monthly income from approximately $1,200 to nearly $3,000. 

“In Wyoming,  we know 40% of children living in poverty live with a single mother,” said Joslyn. “Our programming not only changes the circumstances for the mother now but can make a two-generational impact.”

Joslyn views the Climb Wyoming programming as an excellent match for the current nursing shortage.

“People who get into nursing do so because they have a clear relationship to wanting to help and care for people,” she said. “The job is hard and demanding and our training is an excellent way to help them change their lives and make that first step into the medical world.”

Industry-specific training

Climb Wyoming develops intensive industry-specific training to place single mothers in high-demand careers. Healthcare is one industry currently facing significant employee shortages. It faced a critical employee shortage before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the need is exacerbated today. The Gillette office has developed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program to address the situation. Joslyn is responsible for building the program and researching with local employers to understand what they need and what prospective employees have to learn. 

“Many talented professionals in our community help us set up a curriculum that sets up our graduates for immediate success,” said Joslyn. 

Climb Wyoming's programming extends for as many as six months to help mothers gain stability and access community resources if needed, go through the training, and then graduate and begin a job placement. The training lasts about six weeks, allowing participants to achieve a CNA certificate in a short and highly effective timeline. In addition, the women take classes in life skills, receive mental health services, and get general professional guidance, such as resume-building, conflict resolution and relationship management. At the end of the process, graduates receive continued, ongoing support. 

“We match graduates with local employers and then are there as they transition into their new jobs to ensure they get the mentorship, training and coaching to build long-term success,” said Joslyn. “Grads can also always reach out to strategize for a raise or get help in other areas of their lives as they develop their careers.”

PRECorp Foundation assistance

This summer, Powder River Energy Foundation and Basin Electric have joined forces to make a $10,000 donation to Climb Wyoming, which the organization can leverage with additional federal matching dollars from other sources to support its services. 

“During these challenging times, we are so grateful for the support of Powder River Energy Foundation,” said Joslyn. “The need for Climb’s programs in Gillette is even greater during this period of rising costs for families. With the PRECorp donation, Climb will continue its role as a critical resource hub for low-income single-mother families while offering career training to fill local employer needs.”