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Overview:
Founded in 1994 by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Partners HealthCare is developing an integrated health care delivery system that offers patients a continuum of coordinated high-quality care. Partners HealthCare includes the two founding academic medical centers, community hospitals, primary care and specialty facilities, community health centers, and other health-related entities.
Goals/Partnerships:
WorkSource has partnered with Partners HealthCare since 1996 on the following goals:
- Expand its recruiting reach within neighboring communities to hire a committed, diverse group of entry-level employees
- Increase retention for entry-level hires
- Develop and support internal career tracks for employees
Results:
WorkSource began with Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) addressing a significant challenge - how to develop a front-line workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities that the hospital serves. By reaching out to area job training programs, school-based parent programs, and community organizations, WorkSource enabled the hospital to reach a diverse pool of high potential individuals. By providing on, and off-the-job support, WorkSource career development specialists helped hospital managers address issues before they resulted in separation. The result: a steady stream of committed employees who are able to grow into important front-line roles at Partners' Hospitals.
Examples of Key Successful Programs:
Project RISE - Reaching Individuals Striving for Excellence.
Driven by an increasing need to hire and retain new employees, and a desire to serve the communities, our partnership created Project RISE - Reaching Individuals Striving for Excellence. Project RISE is a nationally recognized Welfare-to-Work Program that provides Job Readiness Training, and Career Counseling and Workplace Support for individuals coming off of public assistance. The program was a result of partnership efforts across three organizations: Partners, WorkSource, and Jewish Vocational Service. Initially this program was funded by grants from the City of Boston and the Boston Private Industry Council. In 2002, due to the continuing success of Project RISE, Partners Healthcare decided to privately fund this initiative.
Through these initiatives, this partnership has succeeded in meeting many of Partners' objectives:
- Placed a diverse group of 150 individuals into jobs at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospital
- Exceeded retention goals: 85% of individuals are still employed after 6 months on the job, and our one-year retention figure is 79%.
"Partners in Care"
Partners HealthCare facilities, as well as hospitals nationwide, are experiencing severe skill shortages in areas such as nursing and medical technology. In 2000, Brigham and Women's Hospital, WorkSource, and Bunker Hill Community College created "Partners in Care", a program designed to help Patient Care Assistants and Environmental Service employees advance onto tracks in Nursing. Our approach combines three critical elements:
- Working with BWH managers to create an ongoing Program Management Team to integrate career development planning into their operations
- Increasing the number of educational opportunities available to the workforce - by providing on-site education, and helping employees identify community education options, we have dramatically increased our employees' access to education - a critical component for advancement
- Providing ongoing career counseling and support to help employees identify career goals and action steps, and help to facilitate connections with colleges.
The key to success for any employee development initiative is the ability to help employees to identify growth opportunities, and then provide them with the tools and support they need to advance their education. This partnership has resulted in:
- The design and implementation of a program to encourage employees to upgrade their jobs within the hospital
- Increased loyalty of the participants in the program (Turnover rate for participants is 75% less than the average for this position)
- Increased confidence in the participants' ability to serve the hospital's patients
- 75% of Patient Care Assistants in the program have begun college programs on nursing and/or medical assistant tracks
Click here to learn about WorkSource Partners Solutions.
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