Saints Mary and Elizabeth Graduates 11 Employees from School at Work Program

For six months, a group of Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (SMEMC) employees headed straight to class after work to brush up on their reading, writing and arithmetic – instead of heading home.

From March through September 2011, the 11 employees gathered weekly for a two-hour class held onsite that helped prepare them for college and open doors for career advancement. In the 32-week program, employees worked on improving communications, writing, math, reading, time and life management skills. The students also delved into medical terminology, patient safety and satisfaction, and basic anatomy.

In October, all 11 employees graduated from the School at Work (SAW) program, offered for the first time at SMEMC. They attended a graduation ceremony at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago.

“The crux of the program is to help prepare employees for college or other schooling – and possibly provide opportunities for promotion in the workplace,” said Tim Hawkins, training and organizational development specialist, Resurrection Learning Institute at Resurrection Health Care (RHC). “The best outcome is a better-educated work force.”

The 11 SMEMC participants – two men and nine women who have either high-school degrees or some previous college courses– work in departments such as dietary, medical records and rehabilitation. SAW students were given quizzes, online assignments and plenty of challenging homework via the program, which is conducted through RHC’s Human Resources Department.

“It prepared me for college – SAW was a really good program,” said Caroline Cruz, customer service liaison in environmental services, SMEMC. “I felt math was helpful. We were working on the same homework as my sixth-grade son. I also thought medical terminology was good for working at the hospital.”

Other graduates from SMEMC include: Robert Balubar, physical therapy; Roxane Blasko, behavioral health; Annette Cuyugan, health information management; Tanisha Gonzalez, health information management; Angela Mamach, health information management; Maritza Navedo, health information management; Carmen Santana, health information management; Rosa Saucedo, community health; Michael Starks, human resources and Dianne Watts, health information management.

“I loved teaching the class,” Hawkins said. “It was personally rewarding to see how the students transformed over the six months.”