NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Workforce Training Academy (WTA) program provides skills to develop staff into qualified, certified applicants for positions that have required a constant flow of qualified candidates due to the large number of positions within those departments.
The WTA is a collaboration between NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) and the union partner to develop entry-level staff into qualified applicants for positions that require clinical experience and/or certifications. The mission is to recruit, develop, and train internal candidates to promote continued growth, financial stability, and market competitiveness. The project promotes a labor management culture that quickly can implement strategies to meet the ever-changing health-care environment such as the intended outcome of filling entry-level jobs with out-of-work union members—a result of local hospital closings.
The implementation plan included assembling a Steering Committee, including management staff of the promotable staff and the intended job roles. In the second cohort, tasks, timelines, and meetings happened simultaneously to stregthen the program, while a case manager was added to work as a liaison between the students, instructors, and Steering Committee to ensure student success in the program.
Program Details
An orientation to hear expectations based on the NYP Values kicks off the program. Information sessions create a clear picture of the expected job responsibilities through the eyes of current job holders and hiring managers. Reading and math assessments ensure that interested employees will be successful in the fast-paced, intensive program. The program also connects applicants who did not successfully pass the reading and math assessments to resources to gain the remedial skills they need (e.g., ESL, GED, literacy, etc.).
The WTA program has two components: Professional Skills (e.g., Conflict Resolution) and Job Skills (e.g., Medical Terminology). These courses prepare students to be “job ready” for their upcoming promotions. The core, short-term training program consists of 60 classroom training hours and approximately 40 homework hours. Those programs that result in certifications continue classroom training for an additional 48 hours, which include externships and state testing.
The program included ongoing communication of the big picture successes and the strategic importance to NYP and the union partner’s senior leaders. According to the NYP Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations, this program creates a “…paramount for filling positions quickly with people who obviously want to improve themselves, the department, and NYP. Their energy is very positive, and it’s spreading to the more seasoned employees.”
Results
Wage increases of graduates range from 21 to 36 percent annually. Some 63 percent of the first cohort’s participants graduated in 2012, and all of them were promoted into higher paying positions. However, 98 percent of the second cohort’s participants graduated in 2013, and 76 percent had been promoted by September 2013. The 35 percent increase in the graduation rate and subsequent job placements is attributed to the refinement of the implementation plan from year to year.
By providing promotional opportunities through job skills training to current employees, NYP has expanded the organization’s pool of qualified applicants for high-demand positions and reduced associated costs.
