Unit-based team concepts

Keep Learning to Stay Future Ready alec.rosenberg Mon, 03/29/2021 - 00:16
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Keep Learning to Stay Future Ready
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Get tips on the future of workforce learning; view webcast recording for internal use
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ED-1851
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Get tips on future of workforce learning; view webcast recording for internal use

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Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important to make time to learn.

Priscilla Gill and Dawn Nelson of Mayo Clinic emphasized the importance of learning while working during Kaiser Permanente's Future Ready webcast February 25.

"The future of work is about learning," said Gill, director of Workforce Learning. "We all should strive for continuous learning and to be lifelong learners."

"Everyone is some form of a leader," said Nelson, nurse administrator for Education and Professional Development. "Think about how you can grow your personal leadership skills."

Because of the increasing importance of lifelong learning, Labor Management Partnership unions and Kaiser Permanente have negotiated industry-leading resources to assist union members in adapting to change, including tuition reimbursement and education trusts — which had record usage in 2020. Future Ready, hosted by National Workforce Planning and Development, is part of the Workforce of the Future initiative to prepare employees for tomorrow's jobs.

"This is something we've been doing for years and has become even more important with the global pandemic," said Monica Morris, senior director for National Workforce Planning and Development.

3 types of learning

Gill and Nelson agreed, noting the shift this past year to virtual education.

"COVID truly accelerated a lot of our plans," Gill told moderator Peggi Winter, Kaiser Permanente's nurse educaiton leader. "It has indeed moved us at least 5 years into the future."

The webcast, which detailed examples specific to nursing, highlighted learnings that can be applied to many job classifications across Kaiser Permanente.

Mayo Clinic, an integrated health system, emphasizes learning from day one through each career step. This includes learning:

  • Experientially on the job
  • Socially through learning communities, mentoring and coaching
  • Formally with programs, courses, workshops and conferences

"As leaders, we should get to know our staff and understand what their dreams and aspirations are," Gill said. "In doing so, we can help them craft a career plan."

For nurses, learning starts with onboarding, then continues with professional development, a nurse leadership program and nurse leader growth opportunities.

"It is important for staff to be encouraged and guided to find their areas of interest in leadership," Nelson said.

To learn more, view a webcast recording for internal Kaiser Permanente use only.

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Alec Rosenberg​
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Building Bridges

Submitted by Laureen Lazarovici on Fri, 03/19/2021 - 16:53
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Hank
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ED-1854
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In the wake of nationwide protests against social injustice, teams look inward to achieve inclusive and equitable care.

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Sherry Crosby
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Take Action: Cultivating An Inclusive Workplace

Ready to help your team build a work environment that promotes belonging, empathy and allyship? Check out these equity and inclusion resources for frontline workers and managers:

  • Overcoming Your Own Unconscious Biases [KP intranet]. Discover how to understand and move past your biases. Log on to KP Learn to enroll in this web-based training (Skillsoft registration required).
  • ILEaD Workshop [KP intranet]. Learn how to practice and model inclusion to create lasting change. Find out more about this virtual course from National Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity.
  • Learning Paths [KP intranet]. Use these self-paced activities to get to know your colleagues better and create a more inclusive environment.
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Teams look inward to achieve inclusive and equitable care
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Spurred by nationwide protests against racism and social injustice, unit-based team members are launching cultural  competency projects aimed at delivering more equitable outcomes for their patients by looking closely at their own beliefs. 

Mid-Atlantic psychotherapist Erin Seifert knows that big change often involves many small steps. Delivering equitable care is no different, she says. 

“To give our patients the support and resources they need, we have to start with ourselves and our own biases and cultural competence,” says Seifert, labor co-lead for the North Baltimore Behavioral Health team and a member of UFCW Local 27. 

Team members, who are represented by unions belonging to the Alliance of Health Care Unions and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, began a monthly lunch-and-learn series about bias awareness in November. Activities include a pre- and post-evaluation and guided learning exercises that stimulate conversation about differences. 

“It’s very informative,” says Regina Foreman, a mental health assistant and member of OPEIU Local 2. “I’ve learned a lot, especially about implicit bias. The training is helping me be more aware of my own biases.” 

Such responses are encouraging, says Kristin Whiting-Davis, operations manager and the team’s management co-lead. 

“We need to be able to talk about our own privileges and our own biases,” Whiting-Davis says. “I hope it will help people practice having those discussions that, ultimately, will translate into the work we do with our members.

Welcoming all

Eager to protect their young patients from the effects of racism, members of the Southwood Pediatrics team in Jonesboro, Georgia, began by educating themselves. They held listening sessions for staff and read about the impact of intolerance on children.

Their efforts informed discussions on ways to create a more welcoming environment for patients, families and each other. Ideas include a coloring contest featuring uplifting images, adding diverse artwork to the department and creating resources for families coping with racial biases.

Next steps call for staff members to vote on the most promising proposals for further action.

“We want all cultures and races to feel welcome when they come to our pediatrics unit,” says Stephanie Henry, MD, physician co-lead of the Southwood Pediatrics team. “We all have biases. We need to be open and honest about how to confront them. Then we can build bridges to start having conversations about the patient’s health.”

With reporting by Brenda Rodriguez and Tracy Silveria.

 

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A Healthy Start

Submitted by Laureen Lazarovici on Wed, 03/17/2021 - 16:00
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Hank
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ED-1854
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Team members reach out to new parents in order to give Black moms and babies good beginnings.

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Sherry Crosby
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Giving Black moms and babies good beginnings
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LaTisha Thompson has nothing but positive things to say about breastfeeding her 1-year-old daughter, Teigen Roberts.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” says Thompson, an on-call pediatrics nurse at Kaiser Permanente’s Capitol Hill Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “I decided to do it because of the benefits that breastfeeding gives to my baby and me.”

Indeed, breastfeeding has many health benefits for babies and mothers. But Thompson stands out among African American mothers, who are less likely to nurse their children than women of other racial and ethnic groups because of cultural beliefs that formula is more filling than breast milk. Many Black moms also lack family support and access to breastfeeding resources.

“It’s a national problem,” says Lori Franklin, RN, a lactation consultant and member of UFCW Local 400 who is working to close the gap with her colleagues at the regional Newborn Care Center in the Mid-Atlantic States.

Learning from moms

To better understand the challenges African American women face, the Level 4 unit-based team surveyed 45 Black moms as part of a “voice of the customer” project in January 2019.

The results were revealing.

“They were looking for prenatal education,” says labor co-lead Francesca Klahr, RN, a lactation consultant and UFCW Local 400 member. “We went back to the drawing board, and when we offered it, they came.”

The team doubled the number of prenatal breastfeeding classes and partnered with ob-gyn nurses to encourage African American women to enroll. The response was dramatic.

The percentage of Black mothers taking prenatal breastfeeding classes jumped from 3% to 15% between September 2018 and September 2019.

Kathleen Fulp, a mother of 2, joined the class after experiencing initial difficulty nursing her firstborn child, Savannah, now 2 years old. She’s glad she did. “I probably would have given up had I not had support.”

Such enthusiasm spells success for Nia Williams, clinical operations manager and the team’s management co-lead.

“We can empower and encourage our African American moms to push through, and that has been really successful.”

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Icebreaker: Unconscious Bias in the Workplace Beverly White Sat, 03/13/2021 - 13:21
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Icebreaker: Unconscious bias in the workplace
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Running Your Team
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Hank

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8.5” x 11”

Intended audience:
Frontline employees, managers and physicians

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Use this icebreaker as a team to share your thoughts by identifying one thing you're going to do to combat unconscious bias in the workplace.

hank56_unconscious bias in the workplace

Identify one thing you're going to do to combat unconscious bias in the workplace. Share your thoughts and discuss as a team.

 

Beverly White
Tyra Ferlatte
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SuperScrubs: Answering the Call

Submitted by Beverly White on Sat, 03/13/2021 - 12:19
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hank56_superscrubs

Our comic superhero shows that workers are continuing to be strong and answer the call during the pandemic.

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SuperScrubs: Answering the Call

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Anyone with a sense of humor

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Our comic superhero demonstrates that workers are strong and answering the call during the pandemic.

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Transforming KP
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Glossary: The Building Blocks of Partnership

Submitted by Sherry.D.Crosby on Fri, 02/12/2021 - 10:20
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ED-1815

Use this glossary to understand key concepts and terms related to the Labor Management Partnership and interest-based bargaining.

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PDF

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2 pages, 8.5” x 11”

Intended audience:
Members and leaders of unit-based teams

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Use this glossary to understand key concepts and terms related to the Labor Management Partnership and interest-based bargaining.

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Pocket Reference to Getting Things Done in Partnership

Submitted by Laureen Lazarovici on Mon, 11/23/2020 - 17:12
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ED-1786

This pocket guide for mid-level leaders distills the key principles and practices of the Labor Management Partnership into a handy booklet. This is a 2018 KP-Alliance National Agreement deliverable.

Tyra Ferlatte
Tyra Ferlatte
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Format:
PDF

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Best printed on 8.5" x 14" paper; 33 pages 

Intended audience:
Mid-level leaders

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Carry this guide in your pocket to quickly refer to the concepts and processes teams can use to work in partnership effectively. This is a 2018 KP-Alliance National Agreement deliverable.

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Video Meeting Backgrounds

Submitted by Laureen Lazarovici on Fri, 11/13/2020 - 12:11
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Want to be on-brand during your online video meetings? Download these cool LMP backgrounds. 

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Anyone attending or hosting online meetings.

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Upload to Microsoft Teams, Zoom and any other online virtual meeting platform.

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5 Tips to Build Your Career alec.rosenberg Fri, 11/13/2020 - 11:26
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5 Tips to Build Your Career
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Explore Workforce Development Week resources
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ED-1762
Long Teaser

Explore Workforce Development Week resources to jump-start your career. View recorded sessions. 

Story body part 1

Kaiser Permanente offers many resources to help you advance your career.

Looking to get started? View sessions from Workforce Development Week and follow these 5 recommendations from the October virtual event.

1. Keep learning.

Kaiser Permanente encourages lifelong learning. Resources range from mentoring to tuition reimbursement for everyone to education trusts for eligible union members.

Sadao Nakachi, an emergency room registered nurse and UNAC/UHCP member in the Southern California Region, advanced professionally by using tuition reimbursement and the Ben Hudnall Memorial Trust to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Ingris Solares, an SEIU Local 105 member in the Colorado Region, began as a phlebotomist before completing a yearlong apprenticeship program with the SEIU UHW-West & Joint Employer Education Fund to become a medical lab technician.

View their success stories in the Day 1 and Day 2 employee panels.

2. Have a growth mindset.

Feel stuck in your current job? Reframe your thinking, says Michael Brown, vice president of Human Resources in the Georgia Region.

“You’re really not stuck. What you’re doing is developing expertise on that job. It provides you an opportunity to deliver strong results. That is good currency that you can take with you to that next position,” Brown said in a career expert panel.

View a recording of the leader panel.

3. Talk with your manager.

Managers should encourage employees’ career growth, says Kerrin Watkins, Dental Office manager in KP’s Northwest Region. She discusses workforce development with team members to understand their needs, inform them about resources and support their use of education trusts.

“Invest in your employees,” Watkins says. “If you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your business.”

View Day 3 videos from Watkins and Georgia Region managers Philidah Seda and Sophia Wilson and learn more in the Manager’s Guide to Workforce Development.

4. Follow your professional dreams.

It’s never too late to develop your career, says Dennis Dabney, senior vice president, National Labor Relations and Office of Labor Management Partnership.

When Dabney was 40 and working in Human Resources for an automotive parts supplier, he decided to go to law school. He studied nights and weekends to get his degree. His extra work paid off, opening doors to career growth. Learn more in Dabney’s Day 1 video.

5. Just do it.

Kaiser Permanente employees can receive tuition reimbursement of up to $3,000 each year for successfully completing eligible courses.

Hiren Patel, a senior systems administrator in the Northern California Region, started as a pharmacy tech. He moved up in the organization using tuition reimbursement to get a bachelor’s degree and is currently pursuing a master’s degree.

“Make a plan and be flexible,” Patel says. “Just do it.”

Listen to Patel’s story on the Day 2 launch of the Excel Yourself podcast and explore the event’s website for additional episodes, Ask an Expert sessions, videos and more.

National Workforce Planning and Development hosted Workforce Development Week in collaboration with the Alliance of Health Care Unions and Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

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Alec Rosenberg​
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Sherry Crosby
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A Robot Can't Reason laurie.a.schmidt Wed, 10/28/2020 - 14:29
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https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/VY5Vd2fy-KeuESLAw.mp4
Request Number
ED-1755
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3:10
Long Teaser

When a state-of-the-art lab opened, some feared the technology and worried it would replace jobs. The results may surprise you. See how adapting to change can help members, workers and the enterprise.

Communicator (reporters)
Laureen Lazarovici
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Tyra Ferlatte
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Done
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When a state-of-the-art lab opened, some feared the new technology. Employees worried it would replace jobs. But the results may surprise you. See how adapting to change is helping patients, workers and Kaiser Permanente.

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