Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Career EdVantage continue partnership for summer bootcamp

Through a partnership between Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Career EdVantage, 15 high school students earned their CNAs through Nebraska Methodist College after completing the Health Services Summer Bootcamp.

Throughout the month of June, students experienced hands-on learning and gained industry experience while earning industry-recognized credentials in first aid, basic life support and CPR and working towards their Certified Nursing Assistant credentials. The program is made possible through the financial support and commitment of Jennie Edmundson.

“Building the next generation of healthcare workers is essential,” said Jenene VandenBurg, vice president and chief nursing officer at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. “This bootcamp provides a great avenue to create a pipeline of talent at Jennie.”

VandenBurg and Samantha Hopkins, professional development lead at Jennie Edmundson, worked closely with Career EdVantage’s Bailey McQueen-Jones and Justine Brammer for the coordination and completion of the bootcamp.

“It's something that allows them to not only get the education, but the industry experience. So it's really bridging that gap for them,” said McQueen-Jones, senior director of strategy for Career EdVantage. "We're so thankful for Methodist Jennie Edmundson, because they took all of this knowledge and all of the skills and gave it to these students at a high school level."

Students participated in work-based learning activities across various health services careers at the hospital and completed a certified nursing assistant course through Nebraska Methodist College. The three-week course was instructed at the hospital by Kelcie Jensen, a critical care nurse at Jennie Edmundson. They also completed clinicals or job shadowing opportunities.

This summer marked the third year of the partnership between Jennie Edmundson and Career EdVantage (formerly Avenue Scholars Southwest Iowa) known as the Healthcare Workforce Cooperative.

"We from Methodist Jennie Edmundson find it really important to be supporting our community, and we believe that this is such a great avenue and pathway to do that," VandenBurg said. "I'm really, really proud of the organization I work with that they allow us to do this.”

Of the 10 graduates from last year’s cooperative, eight are currently employed at Methodist Jennie Edmundson and many are working toward becoming registered nurses.

This year’s 15 students were recognized as one of nine bootcamps at the 2026 Career EdVantage Summer Bootcamp graduation ceremony on June 25 at The Arts Center at Iowa Western.

The Daily Nonpareil: High schoolers become CNAs, get hands-on experience during boot camp