Career Pathways program provides new opportunities at UnityPoint Health — Trinity

Emelia Miller enrolled in St. Ambrose University for a nursing degree. Thanks to a local hospital program, she already has experience in the field.

A sophomore at the Davenport university, Miller is in the pre-nursing program with her sights set on starting in the nursing program next year. But first, she had to find work.

"I really needed a job in healthcare, because that's one of the requirements," she said.

Depending on the state, nursing schools require students to have healthcare experience before they can complete their degrees. Miller was looking for a way to balance the requirement and her college courses when she went to a career fair at her school.

UnityPoint Health — Trinity had a booth advertising flexible healthcare positions. After discussing her needs and schedule, it seemed like an easy fit, she said.

"I really liked them out of all the other people I talked to and how they went about everything," she said.

Miller filled out an application, went through two interviews and a month or two later was enrolled in the Career Pathways program at UnityPoint Health— Trinity.

A non-degree program, Career Pathways is designed to help people enter the healthcare field without the cost or time requirement of receiving a degree.  Lauren VanNatta, the Career Pathways navigator for UnityPoint Health - Trinity, said it’s a dual program designed to tackle two problems at once.

Nationwide, the workforce in the medical sphere is dwindling, she said, a trend that started with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Hospital Association noted in a 2021 report that hospital employment fell by nearly 94,000 jobs since February 2020. Job vacancies for various nursing positions increased by up to 30% between 2019 and 2020, according to the report. With no recovery in sight, hospitals have been getting creative with the employees they already have and are searching for ways to help fill in the gaps.

VanNatta said one of the strengths of the program is it allows the hospital to address the specific workforce needs the hospital has in order to fill the needs of the community. It also allows the hospital a chance to provide opportunities to its own employees to help better their futures.

The opportunities are entry-level, VanNatta said, as the hospital is trying to focus on people who have not yet had an opportunity to continue their education. The Pathways program works just like a full-time job, with staff transferring into the program from their previous role.

Throughout the duration of the program, the staff receive education, training and on-the-job work experience that correlates directly with the department the staff member is going to work in. Currently, UnityPoint — Trinity is offering the program for patience care technician (PCT), phlebotomy, respiratory therapy and surgical tech roles.

Miller went through the PCT program, which allowed for a variety of new experiences. As a PCT, she assists the nurses with blood draws, baths, bed changes, checks vitals and assists in hourly rounds.

But before she started any of that, she asked plenty of questions first, she said. Being new to the healthcare field, she wanted to make sure she would have adequate time to learn the job and ask as many questions as she wanted.

"I wanted to make sure it was super in-depth, because working with patients but never having worked in healthcare is scary," she said.

She was assured there would be adequate training, and she could extend that period if she chose to, she said. That stuck out to her and helped calm her worries.

All roles in the Career Pathways program are open to both internal and external candidates, with multiple cohorts per year to ensure those willing get to participate in the program they prefer. From a workforce development perspective, VanNatta said, getting to look at what the hospital needs and fill those positions with internal staff helps create new job growth and provide more services for the community.

"We're looking at areas of the hospital that have some of the higher needs," she said. "A lot of these are ones people don't think about right out of the gate. It helps create a better awareness of those programs and understanding there are numerous roles in the hospital people can look into and grow into as well."

From a staff perspective, VanNatta said, those coming into the program have a chance at a better income and get a sense of pride at completing programs that help better their future. Some participants, she said, are the first in their families to receive a certificate or degree of this kind.

"Some of these folks that we are bringing in didn't see this opportunity happening otherwise," she said. "The people who have the grit and can-do attitude and put the work in, they make it."

Miller was one of those people who put in the work. She trained for about a week-and-a-half, she said, and followed around a variety of different people. It helped her learn where things are and how everything works on the floor, she said. 

She was able to work a few 12-hour shifts, she said, and meet a lot of new coworkers at once. 

"Everyone training me was so nice, and I work with a lot of them now. They are the sweetest people," she said.

The flexible hours were a big plus for her, with the requirement being only 24 hours a month. She gets to choose her own schedule and pick up shifts when she wants to, with the summer employment being an option, too.

The first time she was left to the job on her own, she was nervous, she said. But her coworkers supported her and as her confidence in her skills grew, so did her confidence in her choices.

"This job has made me realize how much I want to be a nurse and has solidified that for me," Miller said. "It made me realize this is my calling."