TJS holds graduation for ‘School at Work’ students

Special to the Daily Times

September 16, 2006 03:28 pm

— T.J. Samson Community Hospital announces its fall graduation for 11 students participating in School At Work (SAW).
School at Work is a program developed by Louis-ville-based Catalyst Learn-ing to provide job advancement, retention and career development for entry level workers. In today’s hospital environment, nursing shortages, and other allied health workers continue to be needed to accommodate the increasing patient load.
By providing SAW to interested and qualified entry-level workers, the T.J. Samson Community Hospi-tal has placed emphasis on retention and advancement of entry-level personnel into clinical, clerical and support roles.
From this first graduating class, two students have studied and tested for their GED. One student will be attending Bowling Green Technical College this fall. Three other students have applied for and transferred to new positions within the hospital this past year. For example, Debbie Simmons is studying to be a radiology technologist at Bowling Green Technical College this fall.
What does this program mean to the employees? Deborah Howerter, SAW student, stated, “My one goal in life was to obtain my GED. This program has allowed me to do this. This program was motivating, refreshing and it allowed me to think and accomplish my life goal. I feel like there is no stopping me now.”
SAW Coach Debbie Long, of T.J. Samson Community Hospital, said of the program, “This is an exciting program that allows employees the opportunity to refresh and hone their study skills for personal and professional advancement within a workplace setting. SAW has a measurable impact on our workforce. It improves morale and overall job performance and it prepares workers for continuing education in the field.”
The SAW “Building a Career Ladder in Health-care” program is for hospitals that want to nurture and advance entry-level employees into higher-level positions.
For more information, visit www.schoolatwork.com or call Debbie Long at (270) 651-4711 or e-mail dlong@ tjsamson.org.