School At Work

H E A D L I N E S	News: SAW 2005 Return-On-Investment Study Makes the Grade
	Star Students: Ray Cummins, Northern Virginia Training Center
	Coaching Insights: Cheryl Norton Uses Class Visits to Recruit SAW Students
	Announcements: Product Upgrades Planned for 2006 Fall Referral Contest - Win a Trip to ASHHRA or SHRM! Upcoming SAW Coach Training Dates and Locations
	Feature Story: Fall Theme Winners and Semi-finalists

School at Work® 2005 Return-On-Investment Study
Shows Solid RoI Based on Employee Retention
and Career Advancement Outcomes

In its second year, the School at Work return on investment (RoI) study evaluated two key areas of impact: employee retention and internal promotions. The 2005 study focused on a group of long-term customers, showing how SAW student turnover compared to the hospital’s category average and measuring the cost of job advancement through SAW versus outside recruitment. “Turnover among SAW students was up to 22.09% lower than the category average. Lower turnover equals cost savings that benefit our customers,” said Catalyst Learning President Lynn Fischer.

For those customers with a history of successfully promoting SAW graduates, the study also indicated a 125% to 235% RoI when compared with the cost of hiring from the outside. “Success in either the retention or advancement measures provides an RoI that will impress your Chief Financial Officer,” said Fischer, continuing, “achieving both is a financial and human resource home run for the organization!”

St. Louis Children’s Hospital is experiencing the positive impact of SAW with 10 internal promotions to positions such as PCA, Registration clerk and HR Representative. Bob Buer, Vice President Human Resources, St. Louis Children’s Hospital says "HR professionals often make people-based decisions because we know they are "the right thing to do. Sometimes we fall down on providing the numbers-based evidence to support our decisions and discuss them with other executives. The RoI analysis of our School at Work results has proven what we felt all along - that investing in our entry-level employees and increasing internal promotions is also saving us money."

For more information, call the CLC office or email your Account Manager or Field Service representative.

Student: Ray Cummins

Continuing Education:
Is taking December 2005 entrance exams at Northern Virginia Community College, then heads to George Mason U for BS in Nursing.

Quote: “SAW and my great coach Cheryl gave me my second chance, made me want to continue my education and do what I really wanted to do. It hyped me up so much that I went back to school and got my GED. Now I’m off to nursing school in January. My Goal is to be an RN in a few years and continue working for the State of Virginia.”

Topic: Employees Recruiting Employees
Coaches: Cheryl Norton, Computer Educator
Location: TriHealth, Bethesda North Hospital, Cincinnati, OH

In order to begin recruiting for future SAW sessions, Cheryl designates a class day where all of the students may bring another employee from their departments to the online session with them. “I specifically had them come when we were in computer lab. That way, they saw the way it (SAW) works, and the students had something to show them.” This allows employees who could be potential SAW students to see the curriculum, format, and class interaction. What better way to recruit hard-working employees who want to improve their skills and development opportunities than through the SAW student/employees who are already doing so!

Do you have tips to share? Have you created a new program to help your students become star employees? SAW wants to hear from you! Please email your field support representative with these ideas or other items for a future newsletter story of interest to you.

Susan Crocker
Katie Keller

Product Upgrades Planned for 2006

Improvements planned for the "Building A Career Ladder in Healthcare" program during 2006 are:
1/ Enhanced Keyboarding capability
2/ Improved Computer Orientation module
3/ Easier-to-Use Message Board for Stronger On-Line Interactivity and Community

If you have ideas for product improvement in these areas, we welcome your input! The current courseware and services are the result of many wonderful suggestions received from Coaches since 2002. To let us know your thoughts on keyboarding, computer orientation or the on-line community, please call or Email Katie or Susan. They will get your recommendations to the technical team.

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Act by December 30 and Win a Trip to ASHHRA or SHRM!

Which friends/colleagues that you know would like to increase their employees’ skills and development opportunities? Help share the benefits of SAW by sending a referral – this could be a WIN-WIN for both of you! And thanks to all who have already submitted referrals. Together we are helping to open up new opportunities for many hard-working entry-level employees in healthcare! Act quickly, the Fall referral contest ends on December 30.

When you submit an approved referral, you receive:

An entry in the grand prize drawing for a trip to the 2006 professional development conference of your choice: either the American Society of Healthcare Human Resources (ASHHRA; to be held in October in Nashville) or Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM; June in Washington DC) . The prize include conference registration, airfare and up to two nights in the conference hotel, to a maximum value of $1,700. Two additional prizes will be awarded: a $100 American Express Gift Card and an Apple iPod.
A $100 credit toward your next SAW renewal for every referral that orders the "Building a Career Ladder in Healthcare" program by March 31, 2006.
To participate, go to the Guidelines/Referral form and complete the online form. Upon receipt of a qualified lead, you'll receive an acceptance email and will automatically be entered into the grand prize drawing.

To participate, go to the Guidelines/Referral form and complete the online form. Upon receipt of a qualified lead, you'll receive an acceptance email and will automatically be entered into the grand prize drawing.

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Upcoming SAW Coach Training Dates and Locations*

MONTH/YEAR	DATES	LOCATION
January 2006	To Be Determined	Nashville, TN
March 2006	Week of 3/20	To Be Determined
May 2006	Week of 5/15	Louisville, KY
July 2006	Week of 7/17	Chicago, IL
August 2006	Week of 8/14	To Be Determined
October 2006	Week of 10/9	Louisville, KY
November 2006	Week of 11/6	Silver Spring, MD

* Dates and locations are subject to change

For more information contact your Field Support Coordinator.

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Fall Theme Contest Winners

The votes are in for the School at Work Fall 2005 Theme contest! SAW creativity and teamwork abounded as the songs, poems, videos and even an inspirational t-shirt logo arrived by e-mail, special delivery and “snail mail”.

The winning entries are:

• Team entry “Colors”, submitted by SAW students from Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. All members will receive a $25 Target gift card.

• Individual entry “When I SAW” submitted by Pamela Hale, Sentara Norfolk General. Pamela will receive a $25 Target gift card.

• Most Unique: “What the SAW Program Produces” submitted by SAW students from University of North Carolina Hospital. All members will receive a $10 Target gift card. This 5 foot by 2 ½ foot entry hangs on the Catalyst Learning/SAW field support office door.

“The first part of the entry “Colors” was one person’s poem and the second part was another person’s poem” says Joan Stirlen, Oklahoma City VA Medical Center SAW Facilitator. Stirlen says that after hearing the two different poems together, one of the class members remarked that the two entries “belong together…they connect”. “When the entire class heard the two poems read together” says Stirlen “first there was this quiet in the classroom, and then the class erupted with YEAH!” Stirlen says they still needed a title, so at her suggestion the class brainstormed, as they had been taught to do when writing and came up with the name “Colors”. Stirlen feels that the entry represents the long distance her SAW students have come in a short period of time, saying that she reminds her class “It’s not about always being the best, it’s about the progress that you’ve made”. “Colors” entry participants are: Keith Chism, Crystal Phea, Doug Carter, Anthony Holley, Alesha Nolan, Roy Roberts, Cassious Carolina, Kirby Nicholson, Freddie Frazier, Taquanta Reeves. Congratulations to all!!!

Pamela Hale, SAW student at Sentara Norfolk General says the School at Work program itself was the inspiration for her entry “When I SAW”. “When my job gave me the opportunity to educate myself and get paid for it, I felt I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. When asked to participate in the theme contest, I just wanted to express to others what the program is about and how it can open doors for you” says Hale. “My life felt like it was at a dead-end, but School at Work helped me believe in myself and start enjoying education again”. Hale, who aspires to go into a nursing program after graduating from the SAW program confidently remarks “I’m sure I’ll be one of the SAW success stories”. Pamela – the Catalyst Learning team couldn’t agree with you more!

Be sure to check out all of the semifinalists entries!
Each of the team or individual semi-finalists wins a SAW Book Bag!

All of your School at Work Fall 2005 Theme entries were so inspirational and the stories behind the entries are touching and powerful. These interviews with our semi-finalist winners and coaches have future “SAW success stories” written all over them!

Team Semi-Finalists:

• Sentara Norfolk General
Entry: “SAW Saved Me”
Assistant Coach Marcus Moore
Phyllis B. Gilliam & Sentara Norfolk General Hospital S.A.W. team

“The inspiration behind the “SAW Saved Me” entry came from one of our students, Phyllis Gilliam” says Assistant Coach Marcus Moore, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Gilliam, a dietary service associate was “looking for something to change her life and her career path and that’s where the title “SAW Saved Me” came from” Moore comments. “She says that SAW is a “God-send”, she is so excited and faithful – she hasn’t missed a day, even coming in to class during her vacation time.”

When Gilliam brought her poem to the SAW class, her teammates offered a few possible revisions to produce this semi-finalist entry. Marcus remarks “I think sometimes when we tell people about School at Work, they don’t fully understand its impact on lives until they’ve seen the living testament, and that’s what Phyllis wanted to get across”.

• Erickson Retirement Community – Seabrook
Entry: “Seabrook’s SAW Song”
Coaches John Brzyski and Mary Pereira

PARTICIPANTS: Winsome Angus, David Belzner, Jean Bracey, Gerda Fortune, Christine Grant, Anthony Greco, Normita Guevarra, Willie Moss, and Tamika Owens

Erickson – Seabrook SAW students took advantage of the professional TV studio on campus to record their entry “Seabrook’s SAW Song”, sung to the tune of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song. Coach John Bryzski says “I pushed them a little bit; it took a couple of weeks to build the momentum to create an entry. Originally it started with the “Who Are You” song. It was good to see all of them come together”. He says this competitive bunch has developed an “I can do this attitude” and have been faithfully following their entry on-line.

Bryzski says that song entry soloist David Belzner also wrote a lot of the lyrics. He says that Belzner, a maintenance engineer “got the bug” to go into nursing, and like almost all of his students, he expects Belzner will apply for continuing education once the SAW class is complete. Bryzski says that the song entry will be played at their upcoming graduation. The proud coach remarks that “it’s a shame it’s coming to an end”. But for this Erickson – Seabrook SAW class, the end is only the beginning…

Individual Semi-Finalists:

• Oklahoma City VA Medical Center – Roy Roberts
Entry: SAW Poem

Life will come and life will go. Knowledge is just what you know. A clock hangs on a wall. As time goes by, do you answer the call? Only in the end will you know! “It was a Saturday and I was watching football, doing my homework and one of the assignments was a poem, and that (the SAW Poem entry) came out. “ said Roy Roberts, SAW Student at Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. “I’ve always planned on going to school, but I kept putting it off. I wanted to find a way to brush up on the basics and this was the way to do it. There’s a lot of useful information with SAW, stuff that I’d forgotten or maybe never knew. “ Roberts, a former Air Force medic, wants to get into a nursing program, but worried about “getting through the books and learning how to study”. “A lot of the stumbling blocks are slowly being removed during the SAW program and I’m getting the confidence” to continue his education.

• Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center – Michelle Rigsby
Entry: T-Shirt Logo – “SAW Building Brighter Futures”

For SAW student Michelle Rigsby, Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, the inspiration behind her t-shirt logo theme entry “SAW – Building Brighter Futures” was easy. “I’m 43 years old; I’ve been out of school for awhile. The March SAW program became available and I thought “I’d like to get into that”. The SAW program is fantastic.” says Rigsby. “It has enabled me, educated me, given me a hope for a future.” Rigsby lost her mother a year ago in November, and watched the exceptional care given to her mother during her illness by the doctors and nurses at Ephraim McDowell. This experience inspired Rigsby to consider going into a nursing program to “become a better person, to be a real blessing to those who are sick and for their families”. Says Rigsby “the SAW program and coaches Gail and Sheryl are helping me to become that better person”. Passing the ACT is all that Rigsby has left to do to get into the nursing program at Midway college, and she feels confident that SAW is preparing her to do just that. Rigsby says “To think of the difference I can make in someone’s life by becoming a nurse – that’s priceless.”