Jobs to Careers Initiatives

Jobs to Careers Initiative

The Office of Nursing Workforce (ONW), Central Mississippi Medical Center (CMMC), www.centralmississippimedicalcenter.com, and Hinds Community College (HCC), www.hindsscc.edu, will partner to develop, implement and evaluate the Mississippi Jobs to Careers Initiative. This Initiative will promote learning, career advancement and models of work-based learning to advance and reward the front-line worker.

The purpose of this Initiative, Mississippi Jobs to Careers Initiative, is to address one of the root problems that contribute to shortages of health care workers, opportunities for skill and career growth. Hospital leadership is committed to providing adequate quality care to the community; however, the depressed economy of the state of Mississippi as well as the education level and training opportunities for frontline workers make retention and advancement opportunities more difficult.

The Mississippi Jobs to Careers Initiative will be implemented in Jackson, MS. The Initiative, managed by ONW, will be introduced to frontline workers of CMMC. This will provide the workers opportunities to increase their skills and will allow CMMC to reduce high turnover rates and vacancies among ancillary staff, especially unit service clerks to improve the quality of care provided to consumers.

CMMC with other partners will be responsible for developing and defining training curriculum, creating new Human Resource policies to include a career ladder for the frontline workers with wage increases, recognition and rewards and establishing a work ethic needed to sustain a continual work based learning model. This Initiative will require a commitment from CMMC to sustain it via financial, human and supply resources. HCC will develop courses, policies and processes to provide classes to staff on CMMC’s campus.

Curriculum will be developed and implemented in order to provide short term, challenging blocks of instruction for the worker to take and apply immediately in the health care setting and to provide certificates and academic credits for learning accomplishments.