New tool helps health care students enter the workforce faster

MILWAUKEE - There's a new tool speeding up the process for more health care students to receive their state licenses and join the workforce faster.

After four years in Marquette University’s nursing program, alumna Georgia Evtimoski graduated in May and was able to quickly find a job.

"I know for me, all I wanted to do was work," Evtimoski said. "I got my license on a Sunday and I started my job on Monday as a nurse."

However, that’s not always the case for others.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Marquette said it would have taken up to three months during the COVID-19 pandemic for health care students to join the workforce. Earlier this year, that all changed with a new technology platform that is speeding up the process.

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services created the platform for several nursing schools, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette.

"This really puts them into practice," Marquette College of Nursing assistant dean Madeline Schmidt said. "They are really confident when they graduate."

It was paid for with federal COVID-19 relief money.

"The nursing shortage is real, and we need to make sure we can educate and prepare nurses to enter the workforce as soon as they graduate," Schmidt said.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.

Evtimoski was one of the first students at Marquette to use the platform. Now she works at two different hospitals in southeast Wisconsin.

"I felt prepared to go in and take my test," said Evtimoski. "I know I’m helping other people by being able to start earlier and be there when people need it. There’s no other job that you get to be face to face and one of the big impacts on family's lives."