Job Ready Executive Roundtable - Houston Edition - Transcript

[00:00] Jeff Nelder: Welcome to Job Ready Executive Roundtable Houston Edition. I'm your host, Jeff Nelder. You're joining the latest in our Job Ready series of regional roundtables where we convene employers, post-secondary, and workforce leaders in conversations about local education to employment issues with national workforce implications.

[00:57] Jeff Nelder: Today, we'll dig into Houston's healthcare workforce challenges as the need here has never been greater and the people and brands working to solve it are among the best in the world. The numbers are stark. Texas faces a projected shortage of over 27,000 registered nurses this year, with estimates reaching approximately 57,000 RNs by 2032. And significant shortages exist across so much of allied healthcare as well, in roles such as medical assistance, radiology, pharmacy, surgical techs, and behavioral health. We're grateful to hold today's conversation with leaders in Houston, home to Texas Medical Center. the world's largest medical complex, comprising 61 institutions and serving over 10 million patients annually, hosting globally recognized institutions like the MD Anderson Cancer Center and Harris Health System, as well as partnering with Houston City College, Houston's own post-secondary workforce development powerhouse. As a healthcare workforce partner, Houston City College serves 85,000 students annually. and partners with Texas Medical Center institutions to fill critical healthcare vacancies in high demand roles. I am so grateful to be joined by leaders from all three of these institutions today.

[02:20] Jeff Nelder: Let's welcome these experts to job ready executive round table. We'll start with Dr. Christina Robinson, who is the executive director of Work-Based Learning and Industry Partnerships, Talent Solutions and Community Learning at Houston City College. Dr. Robinson brings extensive expertise in developing innovative partnerships between educational institutions and healthcare employers with a proven track record of creating work-based learning programs that address critical workforce shortages.

[03:05] Christina Robinson: Welcome, Christina. Nice to see you, Jeff. Thank you. Always my pleasure.

[03:11] Jeff Nelder: Next, Dr. Miranda Phillips, who serves as Program Director of Workforce Education, Education Development, and Innovation at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Phillips specializes in designing

[03:24] Jeff Nelder: and implementing workforce education programs that respond to rapidly evolving industry needs with particular expertise in healthcare workforce development and innovative training models. Welcome, Miranda.

[03:37] Miranda Phillips: Thank you. It's great to be here, Jeff.

[03:43] Jeff Nelder: Finally, Jobi Martinez serves as Vice President for Workforce and Community Connection for Harris Health System. With over 25 years of experience in leading inclusion and access initiatives across education, employment, and healthcare, Dr. Martinez brings a unique perspective on creating accessible pathways to healthcare careers and advancing workforce development through community partnerships. Welcome, Jobi.

[04:09] Jobi Martinez: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[04:15] Jeff Nelder: I am so excited to hold this conversation, empowering the benefit of the experience and knowledge convened around our table today. For our audience, we'll be using our regular roundtable format, two segments. Segment one, we explore the current state of the healthcare workforce and examine existing collaborative efforts. Segment two, we dig into actionable ideas from our experts that so many of you in our audience will be considering for your own workforce across the nation. So let's dive into segment one. Christina, let's start with you. In your role leading work-based learning and industry partnerships at Houston City College.

[05:06] Jeff Nelder: Would you please ground our audience by painting a picture of the current landscape? What are the most critical shortage areas you're seeing? And how are these manifesting in the partnerships you're building with healthcare employers?

[05:25] Christina Robinson: Absolutely. Once again, thank you for being here. So over the last year, the Gulf Coast region has built 14,400 allied health roles. That's everything from nursing and direct patient care, as well as your allied health and technical specialties. You touched on this in your introduction, but massive shortage in RNs and LVNs, specifically. We've got retirements, we've got COVID burnout and so many other things that are happening. And more importantly, just significant challenges in retaining staff. And that's all roles, not just your lower level CNA roles, that goes all the way up. So hospital systems are increasingly asking us to hire individuals directly from a lower level to a higher level, but really build them a long-term pathway due to the situation.

[06:48] Christina Robinson: And so the other piece of this is more and more hospitals are looking at apprenticeship opportunities. Why? Because when they look at clinical placements and how they're going to place people, we know that apprentices tend to have a higher percentage of retention. So this whole earn while you learn model in the past, used to not pay individuals for their clinical placements. Now they have an opportunity to get paid while they're going through this process. So everything from sign-on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, you name it, huge change on that. And lastly, with regards to shortage, we also are hearing a lot more on your higher level positions. So you're a RAD tech positions, you mentioned sterile processing techs. So employers are saying, hey, we'd really like students to have more experience, maybe three to five years experience. Well, how are they going to get that experience, right? They've got to be on the job, doing the job in order to do that. So our biggest change, I think, is we're seeing shorter training programs, lower hours, so we can get those people into jobs, get them learning and training with mentors so that they can get placed into these roles and hospitals can be more successful in the long term.

[08:30] Jeff Nelder: Wow. Well, thanks, Christina. That was a terrific overview of the current landscape and how the shortage is manifesting in the partnerships that you're building with healthcare employers.

[08:49] Jeff Nelder: Miranda, I'd like to come over to you and say in your role in workforce education and innovation, you're in a unique position to see how traditional education models need to evolve. From your perspective, what are the biggest opportunities for improvement between how healthcare workers have been prepared traditionally and what today's healthcare shortage and environment requires?

[09:15] Miranda Phillips: That's a great question, Jeff. And I know that Christina hit on this a little bit in her response. So I'm going to emphasize that because I think these partnerships are critical. I know that traditionally, you you post a job and you catch you can catch. But I think that starting these partnerships early, whether it's through apprenticeship models, externships, internships.

[09:40] Jeff Nelder: being able to tap into these programs and have relationships with these different programs, especially for a lot of these frontline entry level to healthcare positions such as like she mentioned.

[09:53] Miranda Phillips: being able to tap into these programs and have relationships with these different programs, especially for a lot of these frontline entry level to healthcare positions, such as like she mentioned, CNAs, phlebotomists, some of these, lot of the technician roles, being able to catch them while they're in their program, meet with and pull some of them into apprenticeship programs or form those relationships early.

[10:12] Jeff Nelder: And I know we'll probably talk about this more throughout, but it's a barrier to.

[10:18] Miranda Phillips: And I know we'll probably talk about this more throughout, but it's a barrier to schedule those clinicals that are required for a lot of these roles. And these people are working. A lot of them have other jobs, they have families. So to fit clinicals in and around all these other things, sometimes that's a role that is an obstacle that's insurmountable. When you have an earn while you learn scenario, such as with apprenticeship.

[10:57] Jeff Nelder: you are creating opportunities for them to make money while they're finishing up their educational programs, getting on the job training and I...

[11:16] Miranda Phillips: you are creating opportunities for them to make money while they're finishing up their educational programs, getting on the job training. And for us, if they're in those programs and they're receiving that training, they're doing it the way we want them to do it. Like they're learning that, you know, every hospital has their own way of doing things. So we're kind of building our workforce and that we are not retraining them for the ways that you want them to do it when they get here.

[11:35] Jeff Nelder: That makes a lot of sense, Miranda. So apprenticeships can't be one size fits all. and the power of apprenticeships, it sounds like, is in the actual workplace learning and the specifics of that particular workplace, right? Absolutely. Well, Christina, let's come back to you in this case. Work-based learning seems to be a crucial component, right? It's critical. If there's any sustainable workforce development initiatives, workplace has to be involved.

[12:19] Miranda Phillips: would absolutely.

[12:21] Christina Robinson: Yeah.

[12:25] Jeff Nelder: Okay, so we've heard about what today's healthcare shortage and environment requires. I'd like to go to you, Jobi. Harris Health serves a unique role in Houston's healthcare ecosystem, especially in reaching underserved populations. From your perspective at the intersection of workforce and community connections, what are the specific barriers that prevent people in underserved communities from accessing healthcare career pathways? And how does Harris Healthcare create more inclusive entry points into the healthcare workforce.

[13:03] Jobi Martinez: So one of the greatest barriers to underserved communities or vulnerable communities like those that we see in our patient care is the lack of information. Oftentimes when we think about pathways to healthcare in terms of careers, we think about a nurse and a physician because that's all we're often exposed to. And sometimes, you know, in our K through 12 system or even post-graduate school, we mainly just hear those careers because they're the most attractive ones. We don't hear about the data collection, we don't hear about security, we don't hear about catering, bistros, we, you I'm gonna brag on our system, we have some really amazing chefs that are part of our bistros. And so there are lot of really great careers, marketing media, AI careers that are, we're helping sort of shape today as well in the healthcare system. So a lot of great careers, but a lot of people don't know about them and simply because they lack that information, they lack the exposure and so, Some of the things that we try to do are, you know, advance our volunteer services program. So through our volunteer services, we work with junior high, high school students, just expose them to the different career opportunities there are. We have internships, fellowships, and really we try to create those pathways of exposure so that they can learn more about other careers. They can learn maybe what an entry point looks like if nursing or a physician. You know, if there's just not quite that pathway for them there, whether that's educational access or financial access, they can find other ways because organizations like ours too, we have programs like internal mobility. We have tuition reimbursement. have... lots of great pathways that they can choose from once they decide what that entry point is going to look like. And for many, that's guest transportation. Guest transportation, I think, is one of our most unique career paths because you get to see every corner of a hospital or every corner of our clinic. And so you do have the exposure to understanding the process of health care, but also looking at different roles within the health care system. so again, part of that is advancing the information. What is in our

[14:40] Jobi Martinez: What is in our system in terms of careers, how to get there. That's our main role and function. We are an academic mission institution because we are tied with Baylor Health and UT Health, but we're also partnering with many great high schools, many great community organizations to just talk about what a career at Harris Health looks like.

[14:59] Jeff Nelder: Christina, how are you and your colleagues at Houston City College structuring these programs to benefit both students and employers? And what does the most effective work-based learning pathway look like in healthcare? Sure.

[15:25] Christina Robinson: Well, about two years ago, the Texas Workforce Commission said they really wanted to have colleges launch pre-apprenticeship opportunities. And specifically, they were redirecting funding to really create these bridge programs, how we like to think of them. You've got a pre-apprenticeship, which is going to be less than six months. And then you move to an apprenticeship, which could be a year, two years, all the way up to five years.

[15:50] Jeff Nelder: So with that being said, I believe the entire region really said, hey, what is this going to look like? And so now we see students, we're bringing them in, we're putting them through an initial pre-apprenticeship, less than 12 weeks.

[16:09] Christina Robinson: So with that being said, I believe the entire region really said, hey, what is this going to look like? And so now we see students, we're bringing them in, we're putting them through an initial pre-apprenticeship, less than 12 weeks, so they can really learn some basic skills and quite honestly determine is healthcare right for me? You know, because there's so many roles in healthcare, you know, from patient transport to rad tech. So.

[16:35] Jeff Nelder: they might not be that person that's gonna be in the ER, but they might be the person that's gonna transport somebody, right? So I think students today, they don't know all the opportunities that are out there. So we're really being able to now transition.

[16:54] Christina Robinson: they might not be that person that's gonna be in the ER, but they might be the person that's gonna transport somebody, right? So I think students today, they don't know all the opportunities that are out there. So we're really being able to now transition on saying, hey, go take this role, take this job, A, you don't have to be a nurse.

[17:13] Jeff Nelder: But we want to expose you to a wide variety of opportunities through this pre-apprenticeship pathway and then they roll into a full apprenticeship upon completion of that and selection by the employer So I think that's really a big structure in addition to that We have specific competencies that individuals need to learn while they're on the job. And so, you know most hospitals you're gonna have

[17:39] Christina Robinson: but we want to expose you to a wide variety of opportunities through this pre-apprenticeship pathway. And then they roll into a full apprenticeship upon completion of that and selection by the employer. So I think that's really a big structure. In addition to that, we have specific competencies that individuals need to learn while they're on the job. And so, you know, most hospitals, you're going to have a preceptor that's going to be testing them and seeing how successful they are on their clinical.

[17:58] Jeff Nelder: while they also have a mentor. So we're taking it a step further. You know, they're having 90 day evaluations and we're sending someone in there to assist with that effort. So that way it's taking a little bit off of that leadership team that they have to do it all right. And so as Miranda mentioned, you know, they're learning while they're also training and so

[18:17] Christina Robinson: while they also have a mentor. So we're taking it a step further. You know, they're having 90 day evaluations and we're sending someone in there to assist with that effort. So that way it's taking a little bit off of that leadership team that they have to do it all, right? And so as Miranda mentioned, you know, they're learning while they're also training. And so they get exposed to a lot of things. know recently a student was like, I'm terrified to give medicine, right? And this is something that they have to learn and feel comfortable with. So that's a conversation that they might have with their mentor or their faculty member. And we can role play and see, you know, what does that conversation look like? What do I need to think about? when I'm handling a patient more effectively. So really structuring those opportunities to have those students literally try before they commit, so to speak, because that's gonna be a much better employee and a more long-term employee.

[19:21] Jeff Nelder: That that makes a lot of sense Christina, so it's not just the apprenticeships. It's the pre apprenticeships. It's not just the the job ready skills and knowledge, but it's also the The personal preparedness right? We you know, we hear about so much burnout in healthcare, you say, got to be ready. Makes perfect sense.

[19:53] Jeff Nelder: Miranda, I want to come over to you from an innovation standpoint. How are you adapting workforce education to address both the immediate crisis and long-term sustainability in terms of new models or approaches you're piloting at MD Anderson?

[20:18] Miranda Phillips: So for us, one of the most important things is to look at where we have a lot of turnover, look at where we have a lot of vacancies, because that's where the focus needs to be. So a couple of years ago, we started with Christina and her team establishing apprenticeship pathways. And we started with phlebotomy, CNA, PCT, patient care tech roles.

[20:37] Jeff Nelder: And this has been very, very successful. In fact, we've had a lot of movement with patient care techs.

[20:50] Miranda Phillips: And this has been very, very successful. In fact, we've had a lot of movement with patient care attacks and the retention is much better right now, as well as with phlebotomy. So that it has been, it has moved to other areas throughout the hospital. We have a mammography program now. We're starting sonography in the spring for apprenticeship pathways, but it is garnering enough attention with the successfulness that we're

[21:15] Jeff Nelder: looking at moving to the other areas of the hospital as well. We're talking about moving into

[21:34] Miranda Phillips: looking at moving to the other areas of the hospital as well. We're talking about moving into facilities and maybe adding some facility roles. Christina mentioned patient care, patient escort. That is a new pathway that we're looking at adding because these are areas where there's high turnover. And one of the great things about apprenticeship is that we are able to offer more wraparound supports to remove barriers and obstacles.

[22:00] Jeff Nelder: that a lot of these entry-level positions come with. So a lot of our

[22:13] Miranda Phillips: for a lot of that a lot of these entry level positions come with. So a lot of our techs, they might have problems with childcare. They might have problems with transportation. So there's programs in our city like through our workforce solutions through the WIOA grant funding that we're able to connect them with and provide even more support. So they get through the initial.

[22:38] Jeff Nelder: difficult part of assimilation to a new job, to a new career. Because once they're in, once they're really grounded and

[22:51] Miranda Phillips: difficult part of assimilation to a new job, to a new career, because once they're in, once they're really grounded and after their apprenticeship year, we keep almost all of them. The retention is really good. I know Christina mentioned that, but for the apprenticeship programs, retention is really good. And that's more than half the battle, because by the end they're assimilated, more they understand the culture of MD Anderson, they're more likely to stay with the company at that point.

[23:23] Jeff Nelder: We also have several education programs, like short-term education programs.

[23:42] Miranda Phillips: We also have a lot of, we also have several education programs like short-term education programs. We have a short-term endoscopy program. It's a 12-week program where they can, that we developed so that we could quickly train employees in-house. We've had internal employees that wanted to upskill that have gone through that. And right now we're at 100 % for endoscopy techs. Like we don't, I mean, we have, we are completely filled.

[24:14] Jeff Nelder: There are no openings for that. And that's the goal, to get filled and stay filled. So that's a...

[24:27] Miranda Phillips: there are no openings for that and that's the goal to get filled and stay filled. that's a, and they're, you know, they're trained in the MD Anderson way when they're trained that way. But that is also part of a partnership with HCC so they can finish our program. And if they want further education, they can continue to upskill by getting PLA credit and moving on to HCC to finish their programs.

[24:58] Jeff Nelder: We've got several programs in the works like that. As we see a need, we can develop short-term.

[25:11] Miranda Phillips: We've got several programs in the works like that as we see a need we can develop short-term training and help address our needs in-house.

[25:24] Jeff Nelder: Okay, we've heard about longer term approaches in creating sustainable healthcare workforce development models. Jobi, coming back to you, how can we ensure that innovative funding models for wraparound services and new career pathways reach the communities that need the most? And in your unique perspective, what role do community partnerships play in making healthcare workforce development truly inclusive and accessible?

[26:09] Jobi Martinez: So community partnerships are pivotal, especially in this time as we continue to face some challenges with funding. We do serve vulnerable populations and funding is a major barrier sometimes for us as a system. And so we do rely on community partnerships. We have some really great community alliances that help us identify gaps and opportunities. They help us also better serve our patients. But in terms of our workforce development, Again, we have great community alliances where we let them know what a career at Harris Health looks like, what a pathway looks like. And again, it's those building those partnerships with schools and helping them understand this is how you get to Harris Health. It doesn't matter if you're not choosing a nursing track or a physician track. It is just, this is great employment opportunity. It's a great way to give back to your family, give back to yourself, give back to your community as well. So part of that, yes, we do rely on some strategic collaborations with communities and communities understand the role that we play within Harris County. They know that access to a hospital or a clinic, if we were not around, they would have to drive miles or that they would have to really, unfortunately be in burden situations if we weren't part of that community. Because so we do have two hospitals, but we also have 30 clinics throughout Harris County. And just having our voice, having our presence in the community is one way to show that we care about our community, but that we also employ our community. Employment is often what we consider a access to greater health. And what we mean by that is employment offers benefits, employment offers financial resources, employment offers, as I mentioned earlier, education. And so whatever we can do to support our communities. We know that if we partner and collaborate effectively and efficiently, then our communities are, there's that institutional trust. And so they trust us to be a healthcare provider, but they trust us to be a great employer in the community.

[28:42] Jeff Nelder: Wow. Well, I know we didn't discuss this previously, and this is to both of you, Miranda and Christina. I know that there are underserved communities in and around Houston. And it can be difficult to reach those communities in order to, you know, both let them know that there are these type of opportunities in healthcare. I wonder if you have any thoughts about the role that community partnerships play in making workforce development really accessible to communities that might be hard to reach. Christina, I see you nodding. can absolutely speak to that. So, you know, as a college, we form partnerships with community-based organizations.

[29:26] Christina Robinson: Sure, I can absolutely speak to that. you know, as a college, we form partnerships with community-based organizations, right? Otherwise termed CBOs. And with that being said, that is their niche, right? They go in to the churches, the homeless shelters, you know, you name it, they're there, they're in the community that they...

[29:45] Jeff Nelder: you know, I'll say here is health was a prime example of this partnership, they have a specific area that they wanted to really bring talent from, you know, these individuals would have never had an opportunity otherwise. And so we really part.

[30:10] Christina Robinson: serve. you know, I'll say Harris Health was a prime example of this partnership. They had a specific area that they wanted to really bring talent from. You know, these individuals would have never had an opportunity otherwise. And so...

[30:17] Jeff Nelder: we partnered with them with an organization to say, hey, let's take these individuals and put them through the certified nurse assistant program, get them through their licensing exam. They now have a full-time job.

[30:36] Christina Robinson: we partnered with them with an organization to say, hey, let's take these individuals and put them through the certified nurse assistant program, get them through their licensing exam. They now have a full-time job at Harris Health and the retention is through the roof because they now feel like they have a path. So, you know, the way that we're leveraging this is really, you know, it's not HCC. It's really the community-based organizations. They're the ones that are getting the people through the door. And we're the ones that are providing the education and skills with a full-time employer at the end of the day.

[31:14] Jeff Nelder: Miranda, is there anything you'd like to add on the CBO partnerships?

[31:20] Miranda Phillips: I would just like to piggyback on that. I think the community partnerships are critical. We use them for a lot of our referrals for our apprenticeship programs. We'll attend their fairs. We'll have them in for tours. So having that visibility.

[31:40] Jeff Nelder: in the communities where the people live that we serve is really, really important. So absolutely, community based organizations are a critical component to.

[31:59] Miranda Phillips: in the communities where the people live that we serve is really, really important. So absolutely, community based organizations are a critical component to our partnership and to our efforts to create these pathways.

[32:11] Jeff Nelder: Christina, Jobi, Miranda, thank you so much for the enlightening segment one. We've heard about the current landscape and how the workforce challenges are manifesting in collaborative efforts. When we come back for segment two, we're going to pivot to action, concrete ideas and takeaways for our audience, as we dig into creating sustainable models for healthcare workforce development. Welcome back to the Job Ready Executive Roundtable Houston Edition. I'm your host, Jeff Nelder, and we're in segment two. We've explored the current state of Houston's healthcare workforce, the existing collaborative efforts, and the specific barriers to access for underserved communities. Now, in segment two, we're going to shift our focus to actionable insights and sustainable models for healthcare workforce development. We're going to dive deeper into practical strategies.

[32:37] Jeff Nelder: Christina, let's start with you. In segment one, you emphasized the importance of pre-apprenticeships and employer-driven competencies. For our audience, what does an employer need to do to successfully structure a program to ensure that what a student learns in an educational program meets the immediate needs of the job? And what is the role of the educational institution to make that a reality?

[34:27] Christina Robinson: Absolutely. So it really is a hand-in-hand effort with regards to that. So you know, what are the pain points of the hospitals, right? So if they've got this incredible shortage of rad techs, you know, what does a rad tech really need to do? So we actually went in and did some job analyses.

[34:58] Christina Robinson: with the employer. And so, you know, we went to the hiring managers. We went to the director of the different departments. And we said, hey, what is the most important things for you? They came back and said, well, we need them to be on time. We need them to be able to talk to patients in a culturally sensitive manner. We need them to understand

[35:24] Jeff Nelder: the various laws and regulations.

[35:30] Christina Robinson: the various laws and regulations. So those are things that we can incorporate into our soft skills, if you will, but we like to call them career readiness skills. So we're really focusing on that. And then the second part is really that technical piece.

[35:56] Jeff Nelder: So, you know, we want to know what equipment they're using.

[36:02] Christina Robinson: So, you know, we want to know what equipment they're using. And quite honestly, a lot of community colleges, they don't have the funding to have the newest equipment. So we went in with one of our partners and we said, hey, you know, what's the newest equipment? You know, let us come in and be able to tour it. You know, can we, and we're working on this still, can we get that in-kind contribution of a piece of equipment that is maybe two years old, that would still be state of the art for a college, right? So really having a conversation that says, you know, this is what our needs are. And you know, and we're actually doing a lot of things as a community college to help reduce costs for our employers.

[36:59] Jeff Nelder: So, you know, there's always a new way to collaborate with the employers and the community college.

[37:12] Christina Robinson: So, you know, there's always a new way to collaborate with the employers and the community college. So, you know, if we're doing things that are going to reduce the cost of the employer to train people, they are more likely to have a conversation with us. And so, you know, we're looking at, you know, for example, we're going in and we're training their staff on soft skills. So we're teaching them cultural sensitivity. We're teaching them, you know, how to talk to individuals that have maybe some barriers. Right. So we're doing a lot of that, where we're saying, hey, you know, this is our area of expertise. We want to train your staff. We're going to put some money towards that.

[38:03] Jeff Nelder: You know, you pay for part of that, and we'll pay for the other part of that.

[38:16] Christina Robinson: You know, you pay for part of that, and we'll pay for the other part of that. So it really is an open conversation about, you know, what are the technical skills needed, what are those career readiness skills needed, and how are we going to fund that effort so that we're both mutually successful? And you know, we're finding a lot of employers really want to partner with us, but they just don't know how to do that. And so, you know, it's incumbent upon the educational institution to say, hey, you know, we can help you with this, and we can help you reduce the turnover that you're experiencing.

[38:54] Jeff Nelder: Miranda, what does the successful partnership between an employer and an educational institution look like from your perspective at MD Anderson?

[39:20] Miranda Phillips: So I think there's a couple of things, and Christina hit on this. One of the biggest things is communication and collaboration. Our partnership with HCC is a huge piece of that, where we are talking about our needs, what we're seeing, what we're looking for, and they're able to help us with that. And

[39:45] Jeff Nelder: it's a two-way street, where we're helping each other.

[39:58] Miranda Phillips: it's a two-way street where we're helping each other. And also, for our apprenticeship programs, it's about the buy-in of our leadership. Our leaders are really vested in their apprentices, and in our relationship with HCC, which is a huge part of the success of our program. It's a hand-in-hand effort to make sure that these students and these employees are successful. So it's about getting their feedback. You know, we have

[40:30] Jeff Nelder: regular meetings with them. We want to know how the employees are doing.

[40:42] Miranda Phillips: regular meetings with them. We want to know how the employees are doing. We want to know what we need to tweak. We want to know what they see. So it's about making sure that the whole institution has that buy-in to the success of this program.

[41:01] Jeff Nelder: Jobi, coming back to you. I'd like to ask you to expand on the power of internal mobility to address both the healthcare shortage and to promote accessibility. You talked about guest services, for example. What are the key elements of a successful internal mobility program to upskill entry-level workers into more advanced positions? And how does that strategy help Harris Health retain talent and address shortages?

[41:45] Jobi Martinez: So one of the greatest things that we do in our internal mobility is offer tuition reimbursement. That is a game changer for many of our employees because again, they're starting at an entry level position. And so their financial resources are limited.

[42:11] Jobi Martinez: And so to be able to offer tuition reimbursement, that's a great program that we have. We also have a program called the Harris Health Academy. And the Harris Health Academy provides upskilling to our own staff. So we help them go into a certified phlebotomist program, a certified nurse assistant program, certified EKG. We have a myriad of different certifications that we offer through our academy. And that's where

[42:55] Jeff Nelder: the guest transportation, the guest services comes into play.

[43:07] Jobi Martinez: the guest transportation, the guest services comes into play. Because they're in the hospital, they're seeing the many opportunities, and then they're just reaching out to our team, which is the Workforce Community Connection team, and asking, how can I advance my career? I'm seeing this position, how can I go into that position? And then we help them set a pathway. We offer tuition reimbursement. We offer the Harris Health Academy, and we offer other pathways that we have within our system, and we collaborate with other organizations as well. We help them upskill by partnering with organizations like HCC.

[43:58] Jeff Nelder: Christina, what is the role of the community college to support internal mobility in an employer like Harris Health?

[44:11] Christina Robinson: Absolutely. So it really is all about pathways. So we meet regularly with Harris Health and others and we say, hey, you know, here's what your entry level looks like, which is often guest transportation. And then, you know, here's the next level, which might be a CNA. And then here's the next level, which might be an LVN. And then here's an RN.

[44:49] Christina Robinson: So we say, hey, you know, we're offering the certifications, we're offering the degrees. We're offering the bachelor's in nursing. So, know, where can we help them with that bridge? So we help them get into those programs. And then we offer

[45:15] Jeff Nelder: accelerated programs for them so they can get in and out quickly.

[45:27] Christina Robinson: accelerated programs for them so they can get in and out quickly, but we also offer advising. So, you know, they may not know all the opportunities at Harris Health, right?

[45:46] Jeff Nelder: So we're kind of their one-stop shop for helping them to navigate all the different options at Harris Health, right?

[45:59] Christina Robinson: So we're kind of their one-stop shop for helping them to navigate all the different options at Harris Health, right? And so we help them on that journey. So it really is all about that partnership and saying, hey, you know, this is what your entry level looks like. And this is what the highest level looks like. And here's the continuum of where we can help you get there.

[46:31] Jeff Nelder: Miranda, I'd like to ask you one final question about innovation in education. MD Anderson is known globally for innovation in cancer care. How does that culture of innovation translate to how you approach workforce education and development? And what's one innovative practice that our audience can take away for their own institutions?

[47:15] Miranda Phillips: So I think it's important that we look at innovation in education and workforce development, like we look at it in our patient care. And I think one of the biggest things that we've done is we've broken down the barriers between employee education, the academic arm, and workforce development. And so, you know, we've broken down the silos and we have

[47:53] Jeff Nelder: one cohesive, unified front to say, hey, this is our mission.

[48:06] Miranda Phillips: one cohesive, unified front to say, hey, this is our mission. This is what we're going to do. We're going to put all of our resources together, and we're going to make sure that our employees and our students are successful. I think that's one of the most innovative things that we've done. And then, you know, the second thing is really looking at the short-term education programs that we're doing.

[48:38] Jeff Nelder: You know, how can we quickly get people in?

[48:44] Miranda Phillips: You know, how can we quickly get people in? How can we quickly train them in-house, upskill them in-house, and then give them a pathway to get that further education and get the degrees and the certifications that they need? That's probably the biggest innovative thing that we're doing right now.

[49:09] Jeff Nelder: Wow. Well, our hour is almost up. We've heard visionary and action-oriented perspectives, and both Christina and Miranda shared perspectives on how to better leverage collective resources of multiple institutions. And they provided advice on building effective partnerships between post-secondary. and employers and the innovative initiatives that are underway at the world's largest medical center and in Texas that you need to pay attention to for your own work. So as much as I would enjoy continuing the conversation with our speakers, this is all the time we have for today. So on behalf of our audience, Job Ready Podcast and our team at EFA, thank you to our distinguished visionary and change-making speakers, Christina, Miranda, Jobi, it has been my distinct pleasure and honor to work with you all today. To all of you in our audience, whether you contribute to workforce via HR, talent, higher education, community leadership, workforce development, or economic development, gratitude and respect for tuning in to Reimagining Healthcare Talent, a collaborative blueprint for Houston's medical future. Allow me to humbly offer the ideas and information discussed today as concrete belief in and support for your own crucial work. Once again, Miranda, thank you for joining us. Christina, thank you for joining us. Jobi, thank you for joining us today. Thank you so much. And to our audience, remember workforce development is the work of not only your lifetime, but generations of lifetimes. Thank you and be well. [50:17]