Ask Not What Your Workforce Can Do For You But What You Can Do For Your Workforce

The challenge of staffing is made greater due to the fact that, in addition to attracting new employees, hospitals and healthcare facilities must replace current workers due to retirement and high turnover rates.

 

Achieving a recognition obtained by less than two percent of all hospitals in the United States, Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale has received Magnet Status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes hospitals that provide the best in nursing care and a supportive professional nursing environment. We focus on how we can best serve those who pursue a career of helping others.

Employees at Holy Cross Hospital are referred to as Associates to underscore the integral role each plays in our success. In addition to targeted advertising, Holy Cross works with local schools and colleges to recruit a diverse mix of graduates. Our Associates represent more than 36 different nationalities and more than 27 languages are spoken in our halls while active "culture of inclusion" committees represent all levels of the workforce.

As one of nearly 400 hospitals around the nation, Holy Cross has implemented the School at Work Program for entry level workers from diverse areas of the hospital to provide training for possible job advancement and skills needed for continuing education. To participate in classes which meet for two hours each week, Associates receive their hourly wage for one hour of the class and complete the remaining hour on personal time. Nationwide, the program has produced encouraging results: one-third of graduates choose to continue their education with 67 percent of those students enrolling in a healthcare-related field of study; 17 percent achieve career advancement within 90 days after completing the program; and 94 percent agreed with the statement "I plan to be working in this organization one year from now."

Many new nurses are surprised and anxious about the independence they are given to make decisions on their own. To develop the confidence necessary to take over responsibility for patient care, Holy Cross offers a one-year Nurse Residency Program for Florida licensed BSN graduates with less than six months work experience who commit to working at the hospital for one year after program completion. Offered twice a year, the program features one-on-one mentoring, a lighter workload during orientation, and four hour-long monthly seminars consisting of educational content, small group discussions and case studies.

 

Holy Cross values Associates’ contributions with Associate of the Month, Associate of the Year, Physician of the Quarter and Director of the Year awards programs. In addition, to provide Associates with immediate recognition for exhibiting our Standards of Excellence, Associates’ efforts are recognized by handwritten, personalized “Thank You” notes and “Care Grams” from managers as well as other Associates. Under the Care Gram program, Associates can accumulate and redeem Care Grams for rewards.

 

A non-profit hospital, Holy Cross is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and we believe nursing is a shared journey guided by our Core Values and built on a legacy traced back to six of the original Sisters of Mercy who were Registered Nurses. The hospital’s Legacy Program engages Associates in the history of the Sisters, the hospital and the ways in which those values enrich our lives and are practiced today.

Holy Cross provides opportunities for Associates to participate in a variety of activities that serve the community. Each department participates in annual events such food drives and walks to raise funds to fight disease. Associates are encouraged to volunteer for mission trips to other countries and will receive one week salary during that time while Associates may take paid time off for local community involvement activities.