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| We have made a conscious decision at the University
of Chicago Hospitals to leverage employee education and training as
a key driver for becoming an employer of choice. We firmly believe
our organization’s investment in employee learning directly
impacts patient satisfaction and loyalty. |
Mike Riordan
President and CEO |
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| University of Chicago Hospitals |
As one of the nation’s premier patient care,
research and educational hospital centers, The University of Chicago
Hospitals (UCH) employs 4,800 people. Facing an increasingly competitive,
rapidly changing health care environment, UCH developed a strategy
to build a culture of continuous learning by developing learning systems
and establishing strong partnerships with local educational institutions.
The primary vehicle for these efforts comes in the form of an "academy"
within UCH, which assumes responsibility for the planning and implementation
of the learning priorities established by the UCH Academy Advisory
Board. By serving as a learning resource to UCH employees, the academy
serves as a vehicle for managing organizational change by informing
staff about education and training offerings through newsletters,
meetings with supervisors, counseling sessions, department meetings,
e-mails and forums.
UCH believes that learning and development activities are strong recruitment
and retention tactics, particularly in the health care industry where
critical shortages of nurses and other health care professionals exist.
To address these staffing shortages, UCH has established relationships
with a number of educational institutions throughout the Chicago area
to offer convenient and customized degree and certificate programs.
Partners are selected based on their program offerings and their flexibility
in meeting the life/work balance needs of UCH staff, including delivery
of the program onsite at UCH one or two nights per week.
As a result of the educational partnerships and the work of the UCH
"academy," enrollment in UCH learning programs expanded
eight-fold, incorporating all levels of staff, and an estimated 20
to 30 percent of staff elect to participate in learning opportunities,
higher than average for most industries. In addition, evaluation techniques
and other data have proven the effectiveness of UCH efforts. Staff
turnover from 1996 to 1999 dropped from 26 percent to 15 percent.
For the commitment of the University of Chicago Hospitals to incorporating
best practices in workforce development, the nonprofit Council
for Adult and Experiential Learning recognized UCH in 2001 as
part of its WorkforceChicago2.0 initiative. The WorkforceChicago2.0
framework is based on exemplary practices in workforce development
exhibited by leading companies such as Allstate, Motorola, Northern
Trust, and TruServ Corporation.
For more information, contact Judy Schueler, Chief Learning Officer
and Executive Director, UCH Academy at 773.702.4380
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