Changing employers to advance your career can be stressful. There are new names to learn, new policies to get up to speed on and new benefits to figure out. You have to find your place on new teams and within a new company. That can feel mentally overwhelming.
Can you imagine working at one company for decades instead of hopping employers every year or two? Or imagine being able to grow and advance your health care career without making stressful, life-disrupting changes?
If you choose a large employer – one that offers several internal career paths and advancement opportunities – that can be a big win for your career.
Christian Health Care Center in Lynden is that kind of employer. Our leadership team recognizes the skills and experience that existing team members have, and we offer paths for career advancement.
For example, in recent years, CHCC’s assistant director of nursing role was filled by an existing registered nurse who was ready for additional responsibility. Additionally, a nursing scheduler role was filled by a current certified nursing assistant (CNA) who had previous scheduling experience.
Those individuals used the experiences they had acquired through on-the-job training and continuing education to advance their careers at CHCC. Advancing existing team members is a more efficient process, one that has a positive impact on the team and those receiving care at CHCC.
How to access employer-funded training
CHCC offers tuition reimbursement for team members, opening the opportunity to earn additional certifications and designations that can further advance your career. When you have been employed at CHCC for a year and work an average of 20 hours per week, you can explore the tuition reimbursement program, which pays for courses of study that are related to your current role or that will enhance your potential for promotion within the organization.
How to start a career without experience
If you are an entry-level worker who is looking for a career you can grow into, know that there is a clear path for advancement at CHCC. Here is one example of how you could leverage employer-funded training to become a long-term care nurse:
- Start as a volunteer to see if you like the work and CHCC’s company culture.
- Apply for roles that provide on-the-job training, such as a dining room assistant, kitchen assistant, dietary aide or hospitality aide. Take advantage of continuing education programs, which are provided in person and online to all employees for free.
- Enroll in a free nursing assistant training program through Lynden Healthcare Education to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA).
- While working as a CNA, take advantage of CHCC’s tuition reimbursement to pursue nursing school with the goal of graduating as a licensed nurse (LPN or RN).
- Work as a licensed nurse while taking advantage of ongoing continuing education support (training and certification) through CHCC.
- Apply for roles that have increased responsibility, such as nursing team leader, assistant director of nursing and eventually, the director of nursing.
There you go. That is how someone with commitment, drive and a passion for the work could go from volunteer to seasoned nurse administrator over the course of their career.
As an alternative, if you would like a career that relates to health care administration, you could take a career path that includes working as a unit coordinator or unit secretary. From there, you could transition into other administrative departments, such as the business office, medical records, human resources or admissions.
For those wanting to take on a high-level leadership role, administrator training is something that can be discussed with the HR department.
Under the model of advancing from within whenever possible, CHCC commits to investing in the people who work here while they invest in us. The result is a team of dedicated and highly skilled health care professionals who are well equipped to care for the people who live here.
Volunteer and career opportunities are available at CHCC; check out our health care job board for details.