www.iechamilton.ca

The IEC Catalyst , June 2010

 

‘If there is any corporation that gets it, it is Hamilton Health Sciences!’

The skills lab and classroom at the Learning Center

Ever wonder what makes Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) one of Canada’s top 100 employers? Among the various reasons, HHS’ visionary investment in preparing the future healthcare workforce is worth noting.

Shortage of healthcare professionals has been a national concern for sometime. As part of its strategy to tackle this challenge, HHS has taken farsighted measures and invested in high school students. Among these initiatives, The Healthcare Support Program sets a unique example for all industry leaders. When HHS approached the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board in 2004 with this proposal, it was looking to expose students to careers in healthcare at different levels and at the same time preparing the future healthcare support workforce. 

This program provides a great opportunity for those students, who plan to transition directly from school to work. According to Taryn Spohn Lico, Service Excellence Coach at Chedoke Learning Resource Centre, up until now, HHS hired 40 students, who were trained and certified by the program as Environmental Aide and Porters. The benefit of hiring these students for HHS is simply having access to trained and informed workers, who are passionate about the work.

The skills lab and classroom at the Learning Center

‘They have been out in our units for 9 weeks of hands-on training, so they know what to expect. They basically could hit the ground and ride into the role. As to those who want to go to college and university to become nurses or physicians, the reward for us is that there is a high chance they will come back and work for us’, explained Taryn.  Even though the very essence of this program was based on ‘giving back to the community’, Taryn added, HHS is benefiting as well in recruiting and retaining employees.

The program enables students to gain knowledge and skills in customer support services, both in the classroom and the skills lab, located at The Learning Centre at Chedoke. Offered as a four-credit school-work transition program, it teaches medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, service excellence, professionalism, confidentiality, communication skills, principles of infection control and body mechanics. Chiropractor-turned-teacher Teresa Anziano, who coordinates the program, underlined that the program is unique, because the students are ‘trained with the staff and do what the staff do’, including having real-life ‘patient interaction’. Teresa believes that the program is a great asset for the healthcare sector ‘in getting the youth interested in careers in healthcare at all levels, not just in becoming nurses or doctors.’

The students also do their co-op placement in varying shifts in preparation for real life hospital activities and schedules. As Teresa noted, if they are lured to healthcare by ‘ER’ or ‘Gray’s Anatomy’, this program gives them a reality check and helps them decide if they could handle the real responsibilities

Focusing on what HHS is looking for in an employee, human resource explanations and mock interviews are undertaken to improve the students’ employability. Recently, seven of Teresa’s students were up against 1500 applicants for Environmental and Porter positions at HHS. Four were hired, now making $20 per hour.  As Taryn puts it ‘the students get the opportunity and the hospitals get the good staff’.

This innovative initiative earned HHS a Passport to Prosperity Employer Champion Award in 2006. As Teresa puts it, ‘If there is any corporation that gets it, it is Hamilton Health Sciences!’

Whether you are a small business owner or a big company CEO, you can become a visionary employer and tap into your future workforce.  Contact IEC to find out how to get involved.  We will help you make the appropriate connections on your behalf, customize your involvement and register you at www.employerregistry.ca, the online community dedicated to connecting local employers with tomorrow’s workforce. 

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