Hospital taking good care of staff advancement

Tricia Walters

Created: Nov 24, 2009 10:00 AM

Rositta Bassett - Registered Nurse at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.The former Berkeley Institute graduate started her career at KEMH as a candy striper while still at school. After graduation, she was awarded a scholarship and attended Hampton University in Virginia and has been working fulltime in the paediatric ward at the hospital for almost three years.Earlier this year Rositta attended the International Congress on Nursing in South Africa ˆ¿ sponsored in full by the BHB ˆ¿ and attended various workshops. However, learning lunches and ongoing training at the hospital also help her stay ahead. ˆ¿I recently completed a course in Asthma,ˆ¿ she says, ˆ¿It was a four-month course which teaches you everything about Asthma so you can educate your patients and their parents. It was financially supported by the hospital.ˆ¿Rositta says the financial support and training opportunities offered by BHB help her learn more about nursing and health. ˆ¿Attending the conference in South Africa helped me see the different aspects of nursing, and how it differs around the world,ˆ¿ she concludes.

Let it not be said that there are no education and training opportunities for employees at Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB). When it comes to in-house training, employees are exposed to endless opportunities, including learning lunches, continuing education, tuition reimbursement, educational assistance and online degree programmes.

"In order for clinical staff to maintain their licensure, they must earn education credits each year," said Debbie Byrd, manager of Workforce Planning & Development. "The Hospital offers Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions and Learning Lunches several times a week so physicians, allied health care workers, nurses and support staff can earn these required credits."

Sessions are often presented by visiting medical experts on the latest clinical research or the most advanced medical technology. In addition, the Hospital utilises teleconferencing that places staff in direct contact with some of the world's leading medical institutions and best expertise available.

BHB encourages professional development through in-service training and workshops designed for staff in all areas of the hospital, such as laundry, facilities, pharmacy, physiotherapy, diagnostic imaging, pathology and housekeeping.

"Training, education and professional development are real priorities at BHB," Debbie added. "It is one of our most important employee benefits."

Staff who wish to pursue advanced degrees in health care are offered tuition reimbursement for online studies at universities such Drexel, Phoenix, Athabasca, Queen's, Columbia Southern and West Scotland. Financial assistance is also provided to employees who have been at the Hospital for a year and wish to enrol in an overseas course related to their field.

"BHB offers $1,000 towards overseas education and up to five working days off," Debbie said. "When staff members need training that is only available abroad, the Hospital pays for it in full. If an employee is pursuing a degree in health care that supports services at the hospital, we offer $2,000 a year to pursue studies. Many of our staff take advantage of these opportunities."

The Hospital's Health Sciences Library plays a key role in supporting professional development, continuing education and lifelong learning at BHB.

"We provide access to up-to-date, authoritative information for both clinical and non-clinical staff," said Gabrielle Fernandes, Health Sciences Librarian. "Hospital employees can utilise our extensive collection of books and journals in nursing, medicine, health administration and related disciplines. We offer access to a wealth of online tools including journals, research databases and web-based continuing education modules. We assist employees who need instruction on Internet and database searching."

In addition to these opportunities, BHB's Education Services Department provides on-site training for a range of subjects, including CPR, Hurricane Preparedness, Introduction to Mass Casualty, Basic/Intermediate EMT, Nurse Auxiliary Training and Manual Handling. They offer CiNet Healthcare Learning, as well- an extensive video library covering hundreds of health care modules for employees who prefer studying at their own pace and in their own time.

"There are many options for staff who wish to acquire more skills," Debbie concludes. "BHB actively encourages its employees to take advantage of these education, training and professional development opportunities."

Michael Nisbett - Clinical Manager of the Upper-Continuing Care Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH).Michael started working at the hospital in the 1980s in housekeeping. Over the years he worked his way up the ladder ˆ¿ through various positions and with in-house training, learning lunches and tuition reimbursement. Michael says his colleagues and managers encouraged him to receive the training and education necessary to move up the ranks. While working as an orderly he was encouraged to attend nursing school and in 1989 attended Lakehead University in Ontario in 1989. "Professional growth and financial security are linked with education. They are key!" he points out. "If anyone is willing to put the time in to be educated, they will reap the rewards in time, but they must be willing to make the effort.ˆ¿The 44-year-old just completed his Masters in Health Care Quality and Service online through California State University.ˆ¿When someone gets a job at KEMH the doors are wide open for opportunities,ˆ¿ he concludes. ˆ¿Itˆ¿s up to you where you want to go and how much effort you are willing to put into it.ˆ¿

Shaynae Smith - Medical Social Worker at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.This 26-year-old former BHB Scholarship awardee has been working at KEMH for just over a year. She spent her summer months working at the hospital while studying at the University of Pennsylvania and says she continues her training by attending learning lunches. However, she is also completing an eight-week course in Marriage Education online though Bridgeport University in Connecticut.She says having the ongoing support of her colleagues and managers at the hospital plays an important role in her personal and professional growth. Especially during her six-month internship: ˆ¿I have great support from my team and colleagues. They boost me along.ˆ¿

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Hospital taking good care of staff advancement