A Healthy Way to Train
Othello Community Hospital is growing — a new surgeon and 20 new employees in a single year. Pun intended, that’s healthy growth! And growth has an effect on the people who work there and the community members who depend on them. It’s the job of Human Resources to manage the onboarding, the benefits, and the compliance paperwork. For a small rural hospital, the Human Resources team had a lot to carry, and only one person to carry it.
SkillSource’s Business Solutions team had recently introduced Othello Community Hospital’s HR Director, Mindy Gonzalez, to training possibilities available through SkillSource. On-the-job training is a tried-and-true way to hire and develop for the specific skills a position requires.
Jazmin Arceno had spent three years in housekeeping at the hospital. She knew the facility, the staff, the culture. She was earning a wage that was unsustainable relative to her family size and was ready to take on the next step in her career advancement. When Mindy consulted with hospital CEO, Connie Agenbroad about bringing on an HR Assistant, Jazmin applied and interviewed for the position. The hospital hired her, knowing that they could utilize the on-the-job training resource to develop the specific skills needed for the role.
The hospital worked with Career & Training Specialist, Jackie Wilhelm, to structure an OJT contract built around the actual demands of the job. Jazmin is now responsible for onboarding new hires, administering benefits enrollment, and managing FMLA documentation for the hospital’s growing staff. “I have developed record-keeping skills by maintaining accurate and up-to-date employee files for both new and current employees,” she said. Jazmin is enthusiastic about her new role, and the relief from her supervisor, Mindy, is evident in the smile she wears ear to ear as she coaches Jazmin through her training.
For the hospital, on-the-job training provided a structured investment in Jazmin’s development, reducing the risk of hiring and training, saving the business money during the training period, and fostering a culture where internal advancement is truly possible. For Jazmin, it meant a wage increase and a move from housekeeping into a professional role that she is growing into in real time while serving her community.
A community hospital that’s adding staff is a promising sign for Othello. Having someone in place to support that growth — and a workforce system that helped put her there — is what makes it sustainable.
Congratulations to Othello Community Hospital and their newly-expanded HR team!
Learn more about training resources available through SkillSource Business Solutions .
