Teaching Children…
Youth Medical Experience
Each year, Youth Medical Experience, a Community Connections program, offers a unique opportunity to approximately 35 high school students from throughout MeritCare's regional service area. They discover for themselves the world of healthcare from inside MeritCare. From tours of specific areas, such as MeritCare LifeFlight, to interacting with healthcare professionals to going on field trips, the program offers a wide-ranging inside look.
Dreaming of a career in medicine?
When Ken Grosz joined MeritCare's Youth Medical Experience, he had no idea the impact it would have. "I was a sophomore in high school at the time, and really didn't have any expectations as far as what the program would be like," says Ken. Today, this 2001 West Fargo High School graduate is a medical student, studying to become a doctor. Read Ken's journey.
Training Graduates…
At MeritCare, we're privileged to have a role in preparing future healthcare professionals. We believe that we can positively influence healthcare for future generations by passing along our values of excellence in healthcare and our service to the community.
We partner with many educational institutions 
in the region and nation to provide learning experiences for their students and trainees in several areas of study. MeritCare serves as the primary clinical site for programs in nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy and clinical lab science. On any given day, up to 400 students are training in allied health or other professions at MeritCare.
Additionally, MeritCare operates several clinical schools: MeritCare Radiology Program, NDSU/MeritCare Hospital Respiratory Care Program, MeritCare Phlebotomy Program and MeritCare School of Clinical Laboratory Science (4th year of a four-year degree program affiliated with academic universities/colleges in the area). Since 1946, MeritCare and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences (UNDSMHS) in Grand Forks have worked together to train physicians, including those in undergraduate medical education (medical students) and graduate medical education (residents).We serves as the primary clinical site for a one-year Transitional Year Residency, an Internal Medicine Residency, and as a clinical site for Psychiatry and Surgery residents. At any one time, about 80 residents and medical students may be in training at MeritCare, always working under the close supervision of their teaching physicians.
Discovering Cures…
For decades, MeritCare has been a leader in clinical research. Throughout the years and amidst exciting discoveries, both large and small, MeritCare has focused on finding new and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat diseases. Three current clinical trials at MeritCare are great examples of the advanced research happening here everyday.
Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Study
Rapamune Outcomes Assessment Registry (ROAR) is a complicated name, but this study will have a tremendous impact on the lives of countless kidney/pancreas patients. The management of end stage kidney disease is an enormous challenge. Over 300,000 people are currently receiving treatment for kidney failure. Kidney transplant is often considered to be the optimal treatment. This study observes and compares the long-term effectiveness of new immunosuppressive medications, combinations of various medications, patient quality of life, and economic consequences of treatment. This will provide valuable information regarding future treatment of kidney transplant patients. MeritCare has 68 patients enrolled in ROAR, making our transplant center one of the top enrollers world-wide.Bladder Cancer Study
MeritCare, in collaboration with the University of North Dakota, hopes to prove that finding bladder cancer can be determined earlier by using a test as simple as a urine sample. Currently, there are over 300 people enrolled, and we are actively enrolling any urology patients and those who are bladder cancer survivors. The study is NIH sponsored and an investigator initiated research project. Multiple Sclerosis Study
The purpose of many studies is to compare medications to learn the best treatment option available. That's exactly what the CombiRX study hopes to do for people struggling with multiple sclerosis. We are working to determine whether combining treatment for MS is more effective than single treatments in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. This study is currently enrolling.
For a complete list of studies, for more information about research opportunities at MeritCare, and for ways you can be involved, visit research.meritcare.com.