Inside Berks Business READING HEALTH SYSTEMS
Inside Berks Business Inside Berks Business is a program that gets local educators into local businesses Teachers conduct a four day internship in the businesses During this time teachers both gain experience in the field and mine ideas for future careers for their students The experience allows teachers to broaden their knowledge and therefore broaden their student s knowledge of potential careers
Summary Departments Visited: Pharmacy Laboratory Human Resources School of Health Sciences Radiology Nuclear Medicine Cardiac Division Emergency Department Staff Development During my time with Reading Health Systems I visited many departments (and even some that are not listed). In each departments I had the opportunity to speak with staff and observe the daily task required to be successful in their positions. Reading Health systems includes 7,300 team members and 1,000 physicians and providers, across 63 locations.
Education Reading Hospital is a community with positions available for all ranges of education from high school diploma to medical doctors. It s important to note that they offer employee s tuition reimbursement and often promote employee s to new positions. Here are the job families currently listed on Reading Hospital s Website: Accounting-Finance Administrative-Clerical Advanced Practitioner Education-Training Executive Management Human Resources Information Technology Laboratory Physician Maintenance Radiology Marketing-Communications Social Work Nursing Support Services Nursing Support Therapy Nutrition-Dietary Services Therapy Support Pharmacy
Examples of Education Requirements House Keeping- High School Diploma or GED preferred Phlebotomist- One full year of training in a hospital or other setting. High school diploma or GED. Medical Lab Scientist- Bachelors Degree in Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science or a related science. Pharmacy- 6 Year Degree (Doctorate) Nurse- BSN in Nursing Doctor- Medical School
Salary Range For Entry Level Employees House keeping: $9.27/hr Phlebotomist: $11.75 hr Medical Lab Scientist: $21.86 hr Nurse: depends on experience and education. However, a new RN grad is paid $26.10 hr Pharmacist $44.43 hr ER Doctor: Between $101,241- $413,495 year
Greatest Asset Motivated Employees Time and time again every person in the hospital stressed the importance of their role. It was obvious that the staff felt valued and needed. Numerous people discussed the ways in which they enjoyed their job and the overall impact they felt they had for patients (even in housekeeping when they may never even see the patients). Within their departments staff appeared to genuinely care for one another as, which translated to higher quality care for their patients
Technology Utilized The hospitals main information system is called EPIC, which is an online database for health records. Technology is everywhere and specialized by department and procedure they have their own in house tech team, plus they outsource monthly or yearly checks on certain machines depending on their needs PET CT All digital mammography Most advanced MRI in the region (3 Tesla) Sim Labs Minimally invasive surgery - davinci Surgical System TrilogyTM Interventional Radiology capabilities for oncology and neurological disorders Caridiac Cath Suites Portable head CT scanner: first in state Two 64-slice CT scanners: first in Berks County 3-D ultrasound for maternal-fetal medicine
Greatest Challenge Keeping Records Updated: While EPIC does a great job managing all Reading Health systems patients, when a patient is seen at a place that does not have the EPIC system, it then becomes the job of the patient to fill in Reading Health of other medications/problems they are having. On-Going Professional Development New Technology & New Medicines make professional development a must, but training this many people can be a daunting task. Building a Sense Community Across Departments: While some departments work together daily, others may go months or years without ever seeing each other. How do you develop a sense of community when your community is so big?
Skills Emotional Intelligence Communication (Both Verbal & Nonverbal) The ability to persist through set-backs and disappointments Self-Regulation Flexibility Team Player attitude Technical Skills Almost all jobs at the hospital require a base set of computer skills
Abstract Standards PA Academic Careers Standards Addressed: 13.1.8.C- Explain how both traditional & nontraditional careers offer or hinder career opportunities 13.1.8.D-Explain the relationship of career training programs to employment opportunities Content Academic Standards Addressed: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A-Come to discussions prepared & researched CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6-Use technology to research
Abstract Lesson #1 Play 3 rounds of Scategories with the class to get them used to the game Card one: Reasons to send someone a card Card two: Ways to break a bone Card three: Ways to make someone feel better The fourth round use this card Jobs in a hospital After sharing out what the groups have on their cards challenge the class to double their total. Have kids use the internet to search careers in the medical profession that work at a hospital and make a giant list on the board.
Abstract Lesson #2 Activity #2 Have kids reflect on the things that matter in regards to a future career and have them write down the list. Encourage these things to be on the list Salary Education Stress Level Work Environment Split kids into groups (by hospital department) and have them find jobs that have different levels for (salary, education, stress level, environment) Have each group make a poster to present to the class