Executives at Memorial Hospital-Belleville (Ill.), a BJC HealthCare hospital, realized they needed a new approach to attracting and retaining employees a few years ago and took action.
The hospital partnered with Midwest Career Source Vocational School and St. Clair County's intergovernmental grants department in Belleville to develop a program that would grow its patient care team and reduce turnover for entry level roles.
"It's gotten very difficult for employers to find employees, and COVID-19 hasn't helped at all," said Rick Stubblefield, director of intergovernmental grants at St. Clair County. "Our mission is to ensure area employees have a skilled and ready workforce available at all times."
The program targets employees working in other hospital departments, such as food service or housekeeping, who have a passion for patient care. The employees can take courses through Midwest Career Source Vocational School's patient care technician program, blending theory, classroom learning and clinical hours. Students then take a state examination before they can enter into new patient care roles.
"We partner to help them fill their pipeline as they have vacancies and are growing their business," said Sulbrena Day, PhD, MSN, RN, program administrator for Midwest Career Source Vocational School. "Now they can focus on implementing their mission and vision instead of employment. It's a great concept and the employees can advance within the organization. That's a high retention initiative that also reduces turnover."
The employees selected for the program typically have demonstrated a good work ethic and capacity to move their careers forward.
"It's a great opportunity to take someone you've vetted and help them advance themselves," said Mr. Stubblefield.
The grants from St. Clair County help offset the cost of the program for the hospital, and students are able to go through the course without paying out of pocket. The students typically complete the certified nurse assistant, medical assistant or phlebotomy programs.
"Our hope is this is a talent pipeline for the hospital and a career path for these individuals," said Mr. Stubblefield. "You can become a CNA, work in the field for a bit, and then come back to us to further your education to become a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. You may come from the kitchen staff to then enter the nurse career pathway."
The programs also teach Memorial's mission and vision to students, and emphasize reliability and accountability. The instructors set expectations and follow-up with students to make sure they're ready to take on their new roles. The program follows graduates for a year after entering into their new positions.
"We're looking at the social work-life balances that may knock our students off their feet and can work with Memorial leadership to support them," said Ms. Day. "When we identify an issue, we pull the student aside and have a one-on-one conversation to drill into the weeds of what is happening. We can support them and make sure they aren't tardy or absent in the future. We do the case management for them, and Memorial has been really excited for us to implement this particular process in our curriculum."