Tag: MI Hospital Careers

Hospitals Help Michigan Students Pursue Healthcare Careers

Member News, Hospitals Help

Healthcare remains the state’s largest employer of direct, private-sector jobs. With this in mind, hospitals are finding innovative ways to give Michigan students the opportunity to gain real-world exposure to clinical and non-clinical healthcare roles. Some examples of these efforts are outlined below.

McKenzie Health System Hosts Healthcare Career Exploration Tours for Local Students

McKenzie Health System hosts an immersive hospital tour for local ninth and tenth grade students.

McKenzie Health System recently welcomed ninth and tenth grade students from all seven Sanilac County school districts for an immersive hospital tour as part of the Thumb Community Health Partnership’s High School Pipeline Program.

The eight-week program provides hands-on exploration of health and human service careers across the Thumb region. During their visit to McKenzie, students gained a behind-the-scenes look at how a rural hospital operates and the many career paths available within healthcare.

The tour itself involved rotating through several departments – pharmacy, dietary, nursing, diagnostic imaging, and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation – and participating in interactive learning experiences designed to bring healthcare careers to life.

“These tours give students a meaningful look at the many career opportunities available in healthcare, right here in their own community,” said Nina Barnett, Public Relations. “We are proud to support the exploration of healthcare careers for local youth and to partner with the Thumb Community Health Partnership in building a strong future workforce.”

By partnering with the Thumb Community Health Partnership and local school districts, McKenzie continues to invest in programs that encourage students to explore rewarding careers in healthcare close to home.

Trinity Health Muskegon Hosts Schools for a “A Day in the Life of an Injured Student”

Educators and students from Muskegon High School and Spring Lake High School recently visited Trinity Health Muskegon to participate in an interactive activity titled, “A Day in the Life of an Injured Student,” where they followed the medical journey of a student athlete hurt during a football game.

From the initial scene with paramedics to the operating room alongside surgical technicians, students observed each step of care and were introduced to roughly 40 different medical and health-related professions along the way.

Trinity Health Muskegon colleagues shared more about their roles, required education, career pathways and practical advice. Representatives from healthcare colleges and Trinity Health Muskegon’s Talent Acquisition team were also present to serve as resources for the students.

“Many of these students have no idea how many career options exist within various healthcare settings,” said Jerry Evans, MD, emergency medicine provider, Lake Michigan Emergency Specialists and immediate past chief of staff, Trinity Health Muskegon. “Athletic trainers, paramedics, physicians, nurses, radiology and lab technicians, emergency department teams, operating room staff, computer support, dietary services, facilities personnel and so many others. Trinity Health Muskegon is devoted to strengthening our community and inspiring our youth to consider careers in healthcare.”

The event supports Trinity Health’s Growing Our Own initiative, a program designed to engage Muskegon students from third through twelfth grade and help them see a future working in health care as attainable for them. The initiative, made possible by partnerships with the Muskegon Area Career Tech Center (CTC), Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD), Boys and Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore and Michigan Works, will continue outreach to Muskegon County students through additional education, career fairs and more.

Covenant HealthCare Invites Recent Grads to Explore Hospital Careers

Covenant HealthCare created “Discover Covenant” in 2024 to expand knowledge of hospital jobs, grow local talent and help future generations make informed career decisions.

The summer program is a paid opportunity designed for recent high school graduates interested in healthcare. It runs from early June to late August, giving participants the opportunity to explore areas of interest along with those they’re unfamiliar with. Exploration periods are done in three-week rotations from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday.

“As I worked through Discover Covenant, my love of helping people and feeling a sense of accomplishment was ignited during the nursing rotation,” said one participant. “I have now willingly changed my college major to nursing, and I am grateful for the time and money saved due to my experience with Discover Covenant.”

Since 2024, hospital employees and volunteers have hosted approximately 30 students – a handful of which have since sought employment or additional learning at Covenant. Those interested in learning more are encouraged to contact the Covenant team.

“This program has given young adults from our community the opportunity to learn more about healthcare careers and engage with our organization,” said Jill Jarvis, BSN, RN, manager, clinical development & education, Covenant HealthCare. “It has been a win-win for both participants seeking knowledge and guidance about their futures and for our organization, which is working to build pipelines for future employees.”

Hillsdale Hospital Awards Up to $50,000 in Educational Support to High School Seniors Pursuing Nursing Careers

Hillsdale Hospital’s Doris Whorley Nursing Scholarship allows eligible high school seniors to apply for tuition assistance of up to $10,000 per year for up to five years for an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN).

“Our hospital depends on nurses across every point of care and our mission with this scholarship program is to support their education, on-the-job training and long-term career development,” said Randy Holland, chief nursing and infection control officer.

The scholarship was named after Doris Whorley, Hillsdale’s longest working nurse who has been in the profession for nearly 58 years.

“Doris Whorley has made such an incredible and enduring impact on our hospital’s staff and patients,” added Holland. “On behalf of Hillsdale Hospital’s nursing staff, we are honored to carry her legacy forward as we train and guide future nurses.”

Program application announcements can be found on Hillsdale Hospital’s website.

Eaton Rapids Medical Center Hosts Themed Hospital Tour

The team at Eaton Rapids Medical Center recently hosted a two-day hospital tour for local second graders. To keep things engaging, the event was pirate-themed and included exploring the “Emergency Deck,” emergency department, a visit to ”Clean Hands Island” to learn more about the importance of handwashing and a trip to “X-Ray Bay” to see the hospital’s radiology equipment.

The tours are designed not only to ease fears associated with medical care, but also educate students on healthy habits and see members of the hospital team in action.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with our local schools to bring this experience to our second graders every year,” said Eleni Danford, MSN, RN, clinical education, Eaton Rapids Medical Center. “By opening our doors and giving students the chance to explore our departments, meet our care team and have a genuinely fun and memorable experience, we hope to build a sense of familiarity and trust between our hospital and the community we serve.”

Pine Rest Charts Careers in Mental Health

Through personal narratives, reenactments and hands-on activities, more than 200 Kent County students explored career opportunities in the mental health field at an event recently hosted by Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.

“Pine Rest Beyond the Books — The High School Edition,” was an immersive program designed to introduce teens to behavioral health careers. Students from Kent Career Tech Center and several local high schools, including Byron Center, Kenowa Hills, Kelloggsville, Kentwood, Lowell and Northview, attended the event.

Amy Pierce-Danders, Pine Rest workforce development manager, said many students entering the medical field focus on traditional roles, such as nurse or doctor, without realizing the breadth of opportunities available. Other behavioral health job options include counselor, social worker, psychiatric technician, behavioral analyst and recreational therapist, she said.

“The goal is to get the students on campus where they can learn about behavioral health issues and discover these healthcare pathways,” Pierce-Danders said.

MI Hospital Careers Campaign

As a complement to the local efforts of Michigan hospitals, the MHA’s MI Hospital Careers campaign launched in June 2023 to expand interest in Michigan health careers. The campaign targets high school and college students, as well as working professionals looking for a rewarding career. To learn more, contact Katelin Wiersma at the MHA.

Members with questions or content ideas for the Hospitals Help series may contact Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.

MHA CEO Report — A Program Year in Review

MHA Rounds, Issues in Healthcare, Top Issues - Healthcare
MHA Rounds graphic of Brian Peters

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”  — Vince Lombardi

MHA Rounds image of Brian PetersI am pleased to share we just completed a successful MHA Annual Meeting, continuing a long-standing June tradition whereby we celebrate the conclusion of one MHA program year, and prepare for the next. Each program year is unique with the different challenges it presents. At this point five years ago, no one could have predicted how the emergence of COVID-19 would flip healthcare on its head and drastically alter the tactical objectives of our association. However, there is a constant: the MHA continues to rise to any challenge presented to us and we deliver results for our membership to improve the health and wellness of individuals and communities.

The 2023-2024 program year focused intensely on workforce, viability and behavioral health, while addressing the various “wildcard” issues that always come up. We were led with great wisdom and compassion by Shannon Striebich, president and CEO, Trinity Health Michigan, as our board chair. Due to Shannon’s commitment and leadership, the MHA accomplished numerous highly successful and impactful outcomes on behalf of our members.

One of the most significant challenges in this past year was the threat posed by government-mandated nurse staffing ratio legislation. This proposed policy had the potential to dramatically reduce access to care for individuals throughout the state. Our advocacy on the issue lasted throughout the entire year but was highlighted by an Advocacy Day we hosted in September that featured more than 150 hospital representatives, primarily consisting of nurse leaders, who came to the Capitol and conducted 118 meetings with lawmakers that day. Later in the year, the MHA successfully advocated our position at a committee hearing, where more than 60 supporters attended on very short notice to push back on false narratives and to support alternative nurse staffing solutions. As a result of our efforts, no committee votes have been scheduled, and momentum on this harmful legislation has been effectively stalled.

While we had to play defense against this harmful proposed legislation, the MHA spent the program year actively engaged in workforce development and efforts to grow the healthcare talent pipeline. The MHA worked with stakeholders to implement new funding designed to expand access to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees through partnerships between community colleges and four-year universities, while also engaged in partnerships with other organizations to promote healthcare careers, increase clinical faculty and nurse preceptors, address high turnover rates in rural areas and promote healthcare career options. We continued our award-winning healthcare career marketing campaign designed to attract future workers and also redeployed our annual hospital workforce survey that shows the efforts of Michigan hospitals to recruit, retain and train healthcare workers is making a real difference. Finally, we hired our first-ever chief nursing officer at the MHA, which is already strengthening our ties to the nursing community throughout the state.

The viability of hospitals was another key focus and was largely supported through our legislative advocacy work. MHA funding priorities continued to be protected in the state budget, which includes $163 million for graduate medical education, $45 million for traditional disproportionate share hospitals, $15 million through the rural access pool and an additional $8 million for the obstetrical stabilization fund. The fiscal year 2024 budget also included $60 million annually to support hospitals with Level I and II trauma centers and $34 million annually to support hospitals that provide inpatient psychiatric care. Besides state funding, the MHA protected Medicaid funding, medical liability, the 340B drug pricing program and certificate of need.

The MHA is also intricately involved in in addressing the behavioral health crisis plaguing our state and country. Expanding access to care is a key focus, which included the MHA administrating a $50 million grant program to expand access to pediatric inpatient behavioral health services. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is a close partner in this work and the MHA participated in the MDHHS Advisory Committee on the creation of a psychiatric bed registry. The MHA launched a new member ED boarding survey to quantify the number of patients struggling with behavioral health access in the emergency department and the MHA is using this data when engaging with lawmakers, stakeholders and the public to explain the scope of the program. These learnings informed the creation of a four-bill package of legislation to address board-identified issues in the behavioral and mental health system, such as coverage parity and community mental health shortcomings.

Much of the work in the past year has focused on maternal and infant health and improving maternal health and birth outcomes. And I am pleased to share that our MHA Board of Trustees just approved the full slate of recommendations emanating from the MHA Community Access to Health Task Force, giving us the support to continue this important journey together.

And as usual, we effectively dealt with a long list of “wildcard” issues that emerged during the program year, including drug shortages, guardianship, infection control, patient transport, population growth and safety and quality. We also continued to strengthen our efforts related to the growing cybersecurity threat. Indeed, the Change Healthcare cyberattack was one of the largest and most impactful attacks ever seen and served as a clear reminder of the importance of our work in this space.

At our Annual Meeting, I spoke to our attendees about “the power of zero.” In the 2023-2024 program year, the following were true:

  • The number of Michigan acute care community hospitals and health systems that are not members of our association is zero. We have everyone at the table, which allows us to speak with one powerful, united voice.
  • We passed 39 MHA-supported bills through the state legislature that were enacted into law, with five more on their way to the governor for her signature. The number of MHA-opposed bills that made their way to the finish line was zero.
  • The MHA now has a full-time chief medical officer and a full-time chief nursing officer (as noted above). How many other state hospital associations can say this? Zero.
  • And most importantly, how many other associations – in any sector – are as relevant, as impactful, as mission-driven and successful as the MHA? I believe that number is zero.

I would like to recognize and thank our outstanding MHA Board of Trustees, our members, sponsors and business partners, but most of all, our incredible MHA staff for coming together to achieve such tremendous results for the patients and communities we collectively serve. I hope you will take the opportunity to celebrate these results with us.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

Michigan Hospitals Fill 61,000 Jobs in 2023

Member News, Issues in Healthcare, Top Issues - Healthcare, News Releases

Healthcare Remains the Largest
Private-Sector Employer in Michigan

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) published results from their second annual Michigan hospital workforce survey that shows hospital recruitment, retention and training efforts in 2023 helped fill 61,000 total positions in 2023, reducing job vacancies by 29% to a total of 19,000 statewide. More than 13,000 nurses were hired during that time, decreasing the number of nursing vacancies by 44%. The survey includes responses from more than 95% of all Michigan acute-care inpatient hospitals.

Nearly all job categories in the survey experienced double-digit percentage decreases in vacancies year-over-year. Hospitals successfully reduced vacancies in the following job categories:

  • Nursing – 44% decrease
  • Operations – 43% decrease
  • Behavioral health – 42% decrease
  • Administration – 34% decrease
  • Clinical assistants – 28% decrease
  • Pharmacists – 26% decrease
  • Technicians – 25% decrease

Bar graph of decline in hospital job vacancy by category.

Amidst a national nursing shortage, the results show Michigan hospitals are outperforming national nurse retention rates. The registered nurse (RN) turnover rate for Michigan hospitals is 3.7 percentage points lower than the national average of 18.4%. Examples of how Michigan hospitals are retaining and recruiting nurses include offering better and faster pay, improved benefits and employee support, and expanding educational opportunities for students to consider a nursing career. State funding obtained through Public Act 9 of 2022 and Public Act 5 of 2023 contributed to these efforts and have directly benefitted at least 69,000 healthcare workers.

To complement the efforts of individual hospitals, the MHA launched the statewide MI Hospital Careers public awareness campaign in 2023 targeting students and professionals considering a career change to express the value of healthcare careers. The MHA also engaged in efforts that ultimately led to four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs at community colleges, expansion of the Michigan Reconnect program to allow funds to support Michiganders accessing healthcare credentials for technician and nursing careers, and new state law that increases the penalties for individuals who commit acts of violence against healthcare workers.

Michigan hospitals remain focused on solutions that build the healthcare workforce that patients need now, and in the future, to fill the remaining 19,000 open hospital positions, including 4,700 in nursing.

These efforts will strengthen healthcare in Michigan, which remains the state’s largest employer of direct, private-sector jobs according to 2024 Economic Impact of Healthcare in Michigan data. More than one million jobs in Michigan were directly or indirectly related to or induced by healthcare in fiscal year 2022, the most recent data available. Hospitals collectively employ 217,000 full- and part-time employees, remaining one of the largest employers in many Michigan communities. In addition, direct healthcare workers in Michigan earned nearly $47 billion in wages, salaries and benefits.

“Retaining and growing the workforce is a top priority shared by hospitals throughout the state,” said Michigan Health & Hospital Association CEO Brian Peters. “We’re extremely encouraged by the data demonstrating the success of hospitals over the past year in increasing the talent pipeline to care for patients and strengthening the healthcare workforce. Hospitals provide Michigan communities with good jobs that help drive our state’s economy and keep residents healthy.”

The 19th edition of The Economic Impact of Healthcare in Michigan was compiled using IMPLAN® cloud software to quantify healthcare’s significant economic impact in the state. The data represents direct, indirect[1] and induced[2] healthcare jobs; taxes paid by those workers and their employers; and salaries, wages and benefits earned. The report is an online, interactive tool that allows users to examine these economic impacts from a statewide perspective and by region, county or congressional district. It is available at www.economicimpact.org.

[1] Indirect jobs are those created to support a larger employer or industry (for example, a laundry that cleans linens for a hospital).

[2] Induced jobs are those created by the spending of people who work in the indirect jobs (for example, a restaurant waiter who serves the laundry workers).