-
Mercy Health
FOR PEOPLE ALREADY IN THE WORKFORCE, the pursuit of educational opportunities for the sake of career advancement often presents a paradox: On the one hand, it can be extremely difficult to find time to study while working full time or even part time in order to cover living expenses and the cost of tuition. On the other hand, the more time that working students devote to academics, the harder it becomes to keep pace with workplace demands.
Responding to this challenge in our community, Mercy Health has partnered with Guild Education, the nation’s leading education and upskilling platform, to offer enhanced education incentives to all Mercy Health associates.
According to Angie Nowak, Director of Human Resources for Mercy Health, under this program, all fulland part-time Mercy Health associates, as well as PRN employees who work an average of at least six hours per week over a six-week period, are eligible for tuition assistance, which may mean complete coverage of costs depending on the degree pursued. This has been a win for the health system with recruitment of employees and for Mercy College of Ohio (Mercy College) with recruitment of students. Students who work for Mercy Health are eligible to receive tuition assistance or full coverage on day one of their employment.
Students taking advantage of this program are required to fulfill only an 18-month work commitment upon graduation. They’ll also have the advantage of being assigned a coach who will be there to assist and guide them from the time they choose which program to pursue all the way through graduation.
“We’ve offered tuition assistance for a long time, but in February, we partnered with Guild to expand this program so our associates can benefit,” Nowak says. She further explains that the new assistance program was initiated for several reasons: to help attract more talent to Mercy Health, which nowadays requires a more innovative approach given the shrinking labor force; to help retain that talent; and to develop associates so they can upskill into other job roles if desired. “For example, someone could come in at a base-level job such as dietary or environmental services and then take advantage of this program to earn a degree in nursing or another clinical pathway without paying a dime out of pocket,” she states.
Denise Hudgin, Director of Communications at Mercy College, adds, “The expanded benefits are also helpful from the standpoint of recruitment, increasing diversity in the Mercy Health and Mercy College populations, as well as strengthening the Mercy brand with Mercy College included under that umbrella.”
It’s noteworthy that the expanded education benefits are intended for Mercy Health associates of all ages, whether they just graduated high school or have been out of school for a long period and are coming back later in life. “Also, those benefits kick in on day one,” explains Lori Edgeworth, VP of Enrollment and Partnerships at Mercy College. “We have new students right now who are planning to take advantage of them in August as they begin their journey here at Mercy College. So, they’ll be able to continue gaining valuable work experience as they learn new skills and eventually put that education to work in a completely different professional role.”
In terms of success, the program thus far has exceeded expectations. In fact, 172 Mercy Health associates are currently enrolled in Mercy College compared to 94 at the same time last year—an 83% increase over the prior year.
These expanded education incentives benefit not only the students who participate, but also the wider community. “We’ve heard a lot lately about hospitals not having enough beds for patients because they don’t have adequate staffing. This program strengthens our ability to staff hard to-fill positions, and as we educate our people and momentum builds, we’ll be better poised to continue giving our patients the high-level care they deserve,” Nowak says.
Local residents have also heard a lot about the concept of “brain drain”—the tendency of the best and brightest to leave our area in pursuit of better employment opportunities. Hudgin observes that offering these education incentives is helping to counteract that trend as well. “Most of our graduates stay in Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan, so we’re doing our part to ensure the next generation of healthcare providers is in place locally. It also helps that our graduates tend to start off making very good salaries,” she says.
Perhaps the most significant benefit this program offers to Mercy Health employees who enroll at Mercy College is exposure to the faith-based philosophy that both institutions share. “When you become an employee and go to college here, we’ll impart that faith-based culture to you and you’ll carry it with you throughout your career,” Nowak states.
Learn more about employment at Mercy Health by visiting https://careers.mercy.com/. Learn more about Mercy College at www.mercycollege.edu or email admissions@mercycollege.edu.
