Frontline Workers

The best part about the SEIU-UHW Joint Employer Education Fund was that I got to go to school full time. All of my benefits were taken care of. I was still employed by Kaiser Permanente, and my position was held for me. How could I pass on that? I felt like if I wasn’t succeeding, or needed help, I always had somebody to help me. In November 2017 I graduated from the medical assisting program, which is sponsored by the Ed Fund, KP, and the San Francisco Foundation. Now my future is filled with unlimited possibilities.

Access to tuition reimbursement has allowed me the opportunity to go for my doctorate in organizational leadership. In one of my classes, I learned about positive psychology for leaders and how to help them become more resilient. I discuss this with employees and incorporate the concepts into my presentations to stewards and unit-based team health and safety champions. I feel very fortunate that the partnership and Kaiser Permanente value continuing education. I definitely would not be going for my doctorate right now if it weren’t for the educational funds. I also love the Ben Hudnall Memorial Trust. It offers me free continuing education so I’m able to maintain my credentials, which can also be very expensive. Being able to keep up my credentials at zero cost is amazing. You can’t beat that – it’s invaluable. There’s a website you can access for all these courses and it's free with the BHMT. It’s an untapped resource – I just learned about it last year.

I’ve always had a passion for computers and I fell into the medical field because I wanted to help people. I went back to school because I wanted to further my career and combine my love for medicine with technology. Last year, I took a medical information technology class and I am taking another course this spring. I hope to transfer to Kaiser Permanente’s Information Technology department. That way, I can help nurses and doctors improve patient care through technology. Being a husband and a father of two boys and a baby girl—life can get pretty fast-paced and hectic. The Ben Hudnall Memorial Trust paid for me to take one day off per week while I was in school. I took off Wednesdays to study. It definitely made my grades better. I benefitted a lot.

I was one of the first recipients of the RN-to-BSN program in the Hawaii region. I completed the program in May 2016. It was always my goal to get my bachelor’s degree in nursing but it was hard. Schooling is expensive and to get my foot in the door of health care I started as a Licensed Practical Nurse. My advice to others is, if you are interested in pursuing your education – do it! It’s a use-it-or-lose-it benefit and if you need help or advice there’s a resource list of people who have been through the program you can reach out to. I had someone encouraging me along the way, and now I’m encouraging others.

I was working for a Kaiser Permanente research study performing echocardiograms, which use sound waves to make an image of your heart. When that clinical phase ended, I was out of a job. Fortunately, the Employment and Income Security Agreement gave me a year to find another position within KP. During that time, I completed an advanced echocardiography training program that was financed by the SEIU UHW-West & Joint Employer Education Fund. This training helped me qualify for a position as a cardiac sonographer at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, working in a special clinic for patients with congenital heart disease. I find this field of work incredibly rewarding — you get to help children and adults born with heart problems. I’m so appreciative and grateful to Kaiser Permanente, SEIU and the Education Fund. Without them, I would still be where I was — looking for a position. They gave me the tools and the support I needed to continue my career.