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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT - FEBRUARY / MARCH 2009

Saint Anthony Hospital Inaugurates Its “School At Work” Program

School At Work Particpates With CEO Guy Medaglia

Addressing the need for an increasingly skilled workforce at all levels – particularly in its culturally diverse healthcare environment – Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago is launching a “School at Work” program. The “Building a Career Ladder in Healthcare” curriculum is a career development program for entry-level workers in the healthcare industry. The two-course, 32-week program – at no cost to employees – features on-site instruction offered both before and after work. The goal: to help employees advance in their career paths, prepare for college and maximize their workplace potential.

“As a community hospital, we are committed to embracing the community, and that certainly includes our workforce,” says Saint Anthony Hospital CEO Guy Medaglia. “We want to help them succeed. Overall, our entry-level employees display a very strong work ethic and commitment to patients. By offering them education through School At Work, they will broaden their skill sets, and ultimately, help us provide a higher level of patient care.”

On January 22, 2009, 15 Saint Anthony Hospital employees, chosen from a pool or 40-plus applicants, will begin a rigorous eight-month program with two components:

Introduction to Healthcare is designed to enhance workplace skills by polishing core skills in reading, writing, math, language skills, computer literacy and communications.
Becoming a Healthcare Professional offers an introduction to medical terminology and basic education in, among other areas, anatomy, physiology and medical ethics.

Program participants are required to read at a ninth-grade level to be eligible for the course, and weekly tests ensure that students comprehend current material before moving on to the next sessions.

Developed 15 years ago by Lynn Fischer, founder and CEO of Catalyst Learning Company and in conjunction with Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, School at Work was created to help employers “grow their own” workforces, reduce turnover and increase the number of entry-level employees able to move into higher positions. It was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Some 370 hospitals in 41 states use the program, which relies on an educational approach including job coaches, mentors, DVD and Internet learning as well as
traditional workbooks.

While many hospitals use the School at Work Program, Medaglia says the support behind Saint Anthony’s effort is particularly strong for a smaller community hospital. The program is funded by grants from three Chicago foundations, including the Eleanor Foundation, The Steans Family Foundation and the Saint Anthony Foundation.

CEO Medaglia credits two local community organizations for helping the hospital’s School at Work program to launch so ambitiously. These organizations, Central States SER and Instituto del Progreso Latino, have been important partners in supporting Saint Anthony Hospital’s previous workforce development efforts. The mission of Central State SER is to promote upward mobility and economic self-sufficiency among low-income community residents. Instituto del Progreso Latino’s mission is to contribute to the fullest development of Latino immigrants and their families through education, training and employment. Both nonprofits have nurtured bilingual nursing students on their way up the patient care ladder at Saint Anthony Hospital.

Pamela Jones, Workplace Development Manager, Human Resources Department, Saint Anthony Hospital, says most of the hospital’s School at Work program participants currently work in environmental, dietary and foodservice areas. After successfully completing the coursework, many will become eligible for positions in allied health service positions, such as surgical or radiology technology. Many also are employed in nursing at the basic level of certified nursing assistant (CNA). “They need encouragement, support and education to progress to the next level,” says Jones.

Employees like Jazette L. Moffet, an employee in the Medical Collections Department at Saint Anthony Hospital, is thrilled at the prospect of School at Work: “I have been out of school since I graduated from high school, 20 years ago. When I heard about School at Work, I was elated. This opportunity is a godsend that offers the support I’ve always needed to go back to school and pursue my goal of attending college.”

School at Work will confront challenges of the real world, too. For example, financial counselors will offer counseling to overcome past credit issues; participate in financial literacy workshops; and learn about financial aid available to low-income individuals.

The School at Work Program kicked off with a ceremony at Saint Anthony Hospital. CEO Guy Medaglia hosted the event. Invited guests included: representatives from the foundations funding the efforts; representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (MOWD), representatives from the Metropolitan Healthcare Council (MCHC); and local aldermen.