Innovation
Young Prince George’s Workers Shine at Dimensions Healthcare Systems
Dimensions Healthcare Systems “had youth all over the hospital” this past summer. Dimensions staff credited their 32 young workers with Prince George’s Hospital Center’s increased productivity and higher customer service ratings.
Dimensions partnered with the Workforce Services Division of Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation to put the young people to work. “Dimensions staff were extremely excited about working with our youth,” recalled Marcita Bentley-Pinkston, Assistant Director for Youth Services. Youth worked in various positions – as greeters, transporters, health care assistants, and administrative aides – rotating among departments to learn about the different career opportunities available in a hospital setting. One young lady who was considering applying to medical school was excited to work in the morgue. Another worked as executive assistant to the hospital president, and sat in on all the president’s meetings.
Several young people worked in transportation, where they were responsible for transporting departing patients from the hospital out to the curb in wheelchairs. “Our youth minimized the amount of time it took to get patients discharged, and they were very professional and very caring and sensitive,” Bentley-Pinkston said.
Dimensions proved to be an ideal summer youth employment site. Many summer positions were available, the hospital staff members were very excited to have the young workers on board, and the job rotations provided young people with varied perspectives on hospital career opportunities so they could learn what kinds of work might interest them in the future. Staff at Dimensions instituted brown bag lunch forums at which they shared their own experiences as college students and professionals with the youth.
The Hospital Center was one of five worksites participating in the Fall KEYS program (Knowledge Equals Youth Success), which is providing paid internships for older out-of-school youth beyond the summer program. Youth earn $10 an hour for 40-hour-a-week internships from October 1, 2009 through March 30, 2010. Thirty youth are participating in the Fall KEYS internship program; most worked in the summer program as well.
For the summer youth employment program, “everything was based on work readiness skills. We wanted to cover areas that would enhance their marketable skills: punctuality, proper workplace attire, taking constructive criticism, and the overall professional attitude necessary to keep a job and be promoted.” Staff introduced prospective youth workers to these core competencies at the summer program orientation, and job coaches reinforced them at weekly site visits.
Prince George’s County summer youth employment program was nearly three times as large as past programs, enrolling 374 youth with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and about 100 through the regular WIA Youth formula grant.
Contact:
Marcita Bentley-Pinkston
Assistant Director for Youth Services
Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation
Workforce Services Division
(301) 618-8401
mbentley@pgcedc.com
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