Saint Anthony Hospital > About Us > News & Events

About Us

Patient's Story

Home > > >

CITYWIDE SCHOOL AT WORK INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED

Chicago Launches School At Work Healthcare Initiative That Can Transform Employees’ Lives

Saint Anthony Hospital Is Mentor Hospital For All

Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley celebrates School At Work initiative at Saint Anthony Hospital

Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley celebrates School At Work initiative at Saint Anthony Hospital

Addressing the need for an increasingly skilled workforce in Chicago’s healthcare industry — as well as the demand for more and better jobs in the city — Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the launch of an innovative program, “Building a Career Ladder in Healthcare” to 13 Chicago-area hospitals. A press conference to highlight details of the program was held recently at Saint Anthony Hospital.

Known as School at Work, the initiative is funded by: the Chicago Department of Community Development: SERCO, Inc. (specifically, Central States SER); the Eleanor Foundation; the Steans Family Foundation; and the Saint Anthony Hospital Foundation.

Saint Anthony Hospital on Chicago’s Southwest Side introduced the innovative School at Work program a year ago, (read our earlier story about the School at Work program here) -- and successfully “graduated” its first class of 18 students last August. Because of its leadership and track record, Saint Anthony Hospital was selected as the mentor organization for Chicago hospitals now participating in the program.

“I want to thank Saint Anthony Hospital for leading the way,” said Mayor Daley. ” They are helping the City build on the steps we have already taken to ensure that the investments we make in education, job training and business support the overall health of Chicago’s economy and create a workforce whose skills match the needs of local employers.”

Hospitals participating in School at Work include: Advocate South Suburban, Children’s Memorial Medical Center; Mercy Hospital and Medical Center; Norwegian-American Hospital ; Our Lady of the Resurrection; Resurrection Medical Center; Roseland Community Hospital; Sinai Health System; Saint James Hospital and Health Centers, South Shore Hospital; Swedish Covenant Hospital; and University of Chicago Medical Center.

“Building a Career Ladder in Healthcare” 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 before and after work. The goal: to help employees advance in their career paths, prepare for college and maximize their workplace potential. (Every student who completed the first session of School at Work at Saint Anthony Hospital was admitted to City of Chicago’s Wilbur Wright College.)

“As a community hospital, we are excited to be working with Mayor Daley, the City of Chicago and these foundations to create more opportunities for high-quality jobs by leading this citywide initiative,”
said Guy A. Medaglia, President and CEO of Saint Anthony Hospital. “By providing our associates with no- cost educational opportunities, we are helping them to broaden their skill sets. Also, their quality of life will be improved because they’ll be better able to support their families, enhancing the well being of the community overall. Ultimately, we plan to offer this program to many more of our associates.”

Lynn Fischer, founder and CEO of Catalyst Learning Company, a healthcare workforce development firm, developed School at Work 15 years ago. Catalyst, based in Louisville, KY, partnered with Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland to develop School at Work. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, School at Work helped employers “grow their own” workforces, reduce turnover and increase the number of entry-level employees able to move into higher positions. Some 370 hospitals in 41 states use the program.

Employees chosen to participate in School at Work take part in 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.

Pamela Jones, Workplace Development Director, Human Resources Department, Saint Anthony Hospital, said most of the hospital’s School at Work participants initially work in environmental, dietary and foodservice areas. After successfully completing their training, many became eligible for positions in allied health service positions, such as surgical or radiology technology. Several 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, and we provide it,” says Jones.

Jazette L. Moffet of the Medical Collections Department, a 2009 graduate of the program at Saint Anthony Hospital, says, “I‘d been out of school since I graduated from high school, more than 20 years ago. When I heard about School at Work, I was elated.”

The 40-year-old single mother of two children says she’s spent her life “not finishing anything. I’d always had goals, but because of financial struggles, childcare challenges and other issues, I’d never been able to pursue my dream of going to college. Now, I am on the way. This opportunity is a godsend that offers the support I’ve always needed.”

Thanks in part to his mom’s commitment, Jazette’s 23-year-old son recently returned to college. “He is very proud of me,” she smiles.