After many months of planning and preparations, the Baptist Center for Career Development launched on Wednesday, Nov. 1! To learn more about how this exciting new resource can help team members, we talked with Sherri Brooks, director of the Baptist Center for Career Development.
How did the Center for Career Development get its start?
It was a vision of Jason Little, our president and CEO, to have career development for our team members. I was brought aboard in May 2022 to bring it to fruition.
How can the Center for Career Development assist team members?
We have a lot that we can offer our team members. Our career advisors can help with career assessments, career coaching, personal and professional development, and general career guidance. We also offer mock interviews with feedback.
Our website, cfcd.baptistonline.org, has blogs for different career pathways, such as clinical lab sciences, leadership and administration, or research. Team members can subscribe to get updates in their areas of interest. The website has “day in the life of” career videos so team members can get a better idea of what it might be like to work in different fields. The website also provides information on educational institutions that are within 90 miles of any of our hospitals.
Are courses available for advancing personal and professional development skills?
Yes, the center features a learning development platform called Skillsoft Percipio for learning journeys and curated learning paths with more than 10,000 courses available in areas like effective communication, growing leadership skills or learning Excel. Courses are also offered for IT, such as AWS Systems Manager training. It’s a user-friendly system that includes videos and book summaries.
We will meet with team members to understand their needs and what they are trying to accomplish before giving access to the classes. We want to ensure team members are aligning their classes with their goals, and we want to give them some accountability. We can do check-ins, track progress and provide encouragement to continue.
How will career advisors help guide team members?
Whether someone is new to the organization or has been with us for years, we want them to be able to see themselves staying with Baptist – with career advancement or management or administration. We want team members to see a career path in a different direction if that is what they want. For team members who want to stay with Baptist but are unsure of their path, we can administer assessments.
To provide a visual plan for accomplishing goals, we created career pathways for clinical and non-clinical roles. It’s an ongoing project, so we’re planning to create even more pathways.
We may walk with some team members for four years, or some may just want to hone their interview skills during a couple of visits. We offer a coaching relationship to help team members stay on track and move forward toward what they want to accomplish.
We will look at different areas of interest, a timeframe, educational requirements and certifications, and create a career development and learning plan, including action steps. We will follow up for accountability.
The center may also be useful for those who have a corrective action. Managers may suggest they speak with us for career coaching, conflict resolution or time management skills.
Does Baptist also offer help with tuition?
Team members and their children enjoy a 25% discount on undergraduate tuition at Baptist Health Sciences University (BHSU). For graduate tuition at BHSU, the discount is 10%, excluding Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Baptist also has a tuition assistance program. Team members can talk with their supervisors for more information on requirements and how to get approval.
How will the Center for Career Development help individuals in the community?
We want to help develop a talent pipeline for Baptist. Our website has a tab, “Find Experiences at Baptist,” and that’s where students can get information on job shadowing and internships.
Our current interns receive information about job openings. We want them to not only have a good experience, but to know that there is something else available if they want to come along as a team member. The center can help them advance in their chosen career.
We also visit high schools to talk to students about careers in clinical and non-clinical health care roles. This helps take the pressure off our talent acquisition team and recruiters, so they can focus on those who are ready to work.
Is the Center for Career Development available right now for Baptist team members at all entities?
Yes, we launched everywhere at the same time.
How can team members get started?
Team members can make an appointment to meet with us virtually or in person.
To set up an appointment, visit the website at cfcd.baptistonline.org, which can be accessed by clicking on a banner on your SharePoint site, or you can call us at 901-227-3844 or email at cfcd@bmhcc.org.
We’re excited about the kick-off and look forward to serving our team members!
