Patient Companions and Halima Walker, Nurse Manager for the Staffing Resource Office: Otis Nicholas; Mary Jane Gore; Quentin Fridley; Halima; Zay Foster; Renee H.; Jalynn Betterton; Nakia Powell; Rolando Martinez; and Syed Sarim
Across UVA Health, we are tackling the national healthcare staffing shortage by reshaping how we recruit and retain new team members. Hoos Caring, our program that provides coursework and paid on-the-job training for UVA Health patient companions, was developed with this exact goal in mind.
When Halima Walker, Nurse Manager for the Staffing Resource Office (SRO), faced challenges staffing enough patient companions per shift to observe at-risk patients and provide extra eyes, ears and hands for the healthcare team, she saw an opportunity to forge new partnerships. Halima’s team worked with key partners to drastically improve the hiring and training of our companions to improve patient care and create a new pathway for community members to pursue a career in healthcare.
Halima collaborated with UVA’s Pipelines & Pathways program and Nursing Professional Development Services to develop a paid patient companion training program and integrate companions into our nursing orientation. The training program covers essential skills like first aid, CPR, infection prevention, safety, fall prevention, hand hygiene, and so much more. We are also launching a special ESL (English as a Second Language) course as part of the Hoos Caring program to reach even more people in our community. The first ESL cohort began this week and the second will launch in mid-October!
The impact has been incredible. In just four weeks of promotion, the SRO recruited 13 full-time patient companions — a significant increase from the combined previous five months.
But we’re not stopping there. Halima and her team are focused on retention, too. They have created a patient companion newsletter, developed a clear escalation policy, named hand hygiene and falls champions, and are planning special get-togethers to help patient companions feel connected and supported.
I am so proud of the Hoos Caring program’s impact and all those involved in the partnership to bring this program to fruition. Special thanks to Halima, Antonio Steadman, Community Outreach Specialist for Job Readiness Training, Hollie Lee, Director of Pipeline and Pathways, and Michael Ratcliffe, SRO Manager who all played huge parts in development and recruitment for this program. Together, we are creating a best place to work with opportunities to grow at every career stage, while equally focusing on delivering better care for our patients.
To learn more about the programs bringing fresh talent to our teams, visit the Pipelines & Pathways and Earn While You Learn websites. I would love to hear your ideas for bringing new talent through the Be Heard Suggestion Box!
Take care and be well,
Wendy