How Core Education Improved Employee Morale and Retention for a Major Healthcare System

Situation

Healthcare workers have been among the scarcest and most in-demand professionals in our economy over the last few years. The pressures of the job since COVID caused low morale and a flight to other professions. Upskilling is a tested model for boosting employee morale and retention – a key to a healthcare system’s competitive advantage. 

Like most every healthcare network, AdventHealth (AH) saw these dynamics through its 46 hospitals and 77,000 employees. AH brought in Core Education to partner with AdventHealth University (AHU) to develop its Professional Workforce Development program. 

Solution  

The Professional Workforce Development Program now consists of more than a dozen online certificate offerings in Healthcare and Information Technology including: 

• EKG Technician Certification 
• Physical Therapy Aide Certification 
• Professional Medical Coder Certification 
• Surgical Technologist Certification 
• Healthcare Administration Certification 

• Healthcare IT Technician Certification 
• Health Unit Coordinator Certification 
• Medical Assistant Certification 
• Medical Billing Certification 
• Patient Care Technician Certification 

• Pharmacy Technician Certification  
• Sterile Processing Technician Certification 
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Results 

An initial group of more than 500 AH employees joined the program with early results that: 

• Improved career mobility for those in healthcare and non-healthcare positions 
• Increased near-term employee retention 
• Aligned career goals for long-term retention and growth 
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With hundreds of employees adding new skills, AH received an influx of professionals who could take on new responsibilities in their healthcare facilities. Some employees were also able to pivot to more underserved areas of a hospital. 

AH filled positions with internal candidates—which represented a savings of both time and capital that otherwise would have been spent on external recruiting 

Additionally, staff working in food services, security, and environmental services at AHU were offered the same opportunities to join the program as health systems employees.  Many of those employees were able to move into higher paying jobs in healthcare. The program boosted morale and has shored up near term retention. Meanwhile, the academic advisement process each employee goes through has enabled AH to align its organizational goals and values with the career goals of its employees. This level of knowledge will help AH remain a strong and competitive employer and partner career development partner for its employees.