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HCA Healthcare rolls out new colleague benefits
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Good things are happening at HCA Healthcare.
As technology advances and regulations shift, the healthcare industry is rapidly changing. The one altruistic constant for HCA Healthcare’s more than 270,000 colleagues is the desire to improve our patients’ lives through compassionate, innovative care. Inspired by this patient-centered culture, HCA Healthcare has committed up to $300 million to our incredible team members.
“HCA Healthcare’s workforce development program is all about investing in our colleagues,” said John Steele, HCA Healthcare’s senior vice president and chief human resource officer. “Whether the need is pursuing an advanced degree or a clinical certification, or time away from work to bond with a new child or care for a family member, we’re proud to invest in areas that impact people’s personal lives.”
John M. Steele, HCA Healthcare’s senior vice president and chief human resource officer
The perks of the job
From our hospitals to our research centers, HCA Healthcare is a place of hope and inspiration. The hallways of our 185 hospitals and 1,800 care sites are filled with team members who want to work together to deliver life-changing patient experiences. And, if that doesn’t inspire you enough about working for this mission-driven organization, HCA Healthcare has introduced benefits specifically designed to support our colleagues’ families and careers, including:
- Expanded Family Leave Benefits (July 2018)
- Tuition Reimbursement (August 2018)
- Student Loan Assistance Program + Financial Wellness Coaching (January 2019)
- Dependent Scholarship Program + Education and College Advising (January 2019)
- Clinical Certification Support Program (February 2019)
- Other Patient Care Certification Support Program (Later in 2019)
Paid family leave
Introducing a tiny human to your household or caring for a sick loved one can be a scary and life-changing experience. One thing that it shouldn’t be is a financially stressful time. Paid family leave aims to create a healthier work-life balance for our colleagues by supporting parents and caregivers.
Introduced on July 1, 2018, this benefit provides up to 14 calendar days a year of paid leave to bond with a new child (both mothers and fathers) or care for a family member with a serious health condition as defined by the Family & Medical Leave Act.
Digital marketing analyst Katherine Wright utilized HCA Healthcare’s Paid Family Leave benefit during her maternity leave. Wright is pictured here with her son and manager, Bryan Gilmore, director of candidate engagement.
“The new leave benefits gave me peace of mind,” Katherine Wright, a digital marketing analyst with HCA Healthcare’s Human Resources Group, who used HCA Healthcare’s Paid Family Leave during her maternity leave.
“Ultimately, the additional time allowed me to come back a stronger and more focused employee. I maintained a healthier balance during my healing and bonding time and have felt supported by my employer,” adds Wright.
HCA Healthcare colleague, Katherine Wright, with her new son. (Credit: Hannah Leigh Imagery)
The paid family leave benefits expand HCA Healthcare’s current Time Away From Work (TAFW) Program which combines paid time off, leaves of absence and short- and long-term disability.
So, whether an HCA Healthcare-affiliated colleague is headed out for vacation, bouncing back from an illness, welcoming a new child or assisting a family member’s recovery, the addition of the paid family leave benefits provide the security of knowing they are covered.
Tuition reimbursement
One of HCA Healthcare’s most valuable resources is our human resources. We believe in lifelong learning, keeping skills fresh and priming talent to fill future leadership roles within the organization.
That’s why HCA Healthcare is proud to offer tuition reimbursement benefits. Colleagues can receive up to $5,250 in tax-free reimbursement each year for eligible higher education expenses (tuition, books and course-related fees), plus, education discounts from over 220 accredited schools.
Since August of 2018, numerous colleagues have taken advantage of this benefit:
- Nearly 13,000 approved applicants
- Approximately $15 million in reimbursements provided ($10 million for nursing programs)
*stats reflect totals from Aug. 2018 – March 2019
Patricia Benamon, a tier II customer service representative with HCA Healthcare’s Human Resources Operations Center, utilizes the tuition reimbursement program. Benamon is set to graduate May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“I am a full-time employee for HCA Healthcare and attend nursing school full-time, as well,” said Patricia Benamon, tier II customer service representative with the Human Resources Operations Center, who is set to graduate this May with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“Working covers my bills, but not the $20,000 a year for tuition. The tuition reimbursement program allows nursing students like me to afford school without undue stress and worry over finances,” adds Benamon. “The funds also offer peace of mind as I continue to pay student loans from my first bachelor’s degree. To this end, I am grateful for HCA Healthcare’s investment in its employees.”
Student loan assistance
Student loan debt continues to impact millions nationwide, with approximately 43 million borrowers. Since 2006, college debt in the U.S. has roughly tripled and exceeds $1.5 trillion, surpassing both auto-loan and credit-card debt.
HCA Healthcare wants to help.
Designed to help colleagues achieve a financially sound future, part-time and full-time colleagues are now eligible for HCA Healthcare’s Student Loan Assistance Program.
The program provides a monthly benefit of $150 for eligible full-time colleagues and $75 for part-time colleagues.
Eligible U.S.-based education loans may include federal Perkins loans, private student loans, grad PLUS loans, subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, health professionals’ loans, student refinance loans and consolidated student loans.
Financial wellness coaching is also available through the HCA Healthcare Student Loan Assistance Program. Colleagues are able to receive free and unlimited one-on-one sessions with a financial wellness coach to develop action plans relating to student loan debt, evaluate repayment and refinancing options, avoid or rehabilitate a default and make the most of the HCA Healthcare benefits.
Dependent higher education scholarships
We are honored to care like family through the debut of The HCA Healthcare Scholars Program, in January of 2019. A program of The HCA Healthcare Foundation, this merit-based scholarship program offers scholarships of up to $5,000 for higher education expenses to eligible dependent children of full-time and part-time affiliated colleagues.
The HCA Healthcare Foundation has engaged Scholarship America, a leading nonprofit scholarship provider whose mission is to make college education possible through scholarships and educational support, to administer the program and provide scholarship recipients with additional support services. Scholarship award amounts are based on financial need, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
In addition to the awards, recipients will benefit from participation in an evidence-based social-emotional learning platform that will connect HCA Healthcare Scholars to online mentors at HCA Healthcare, and a financial literacy mobile app that provides the students with skills critical to overcoming financial barriers.
Colleagues and their families can also utilize the Education and College Advising benefit to help plan, apply and pay for college with insider guidance from former college admissions and finance officers.
Certification support
HCA Healthcare encourages our colleagues to unlock their potential for career growth and advancement. The Clinical Certification Support Program provides reimbursement for test fees and offers bonuses to those who achieve specific, nationally recognized clinical certifications beyond the requirements for their current position.
Later this year, the program will be expanded to include other patient care certifications.
Note: Program eligibility for all of the programs detailed above can vary by location.
HCA Healthcare continues to invest up to $300 million in workforce development over the course of three years in the areas of expanded paid family leave benefits, education and training, education assistance and scholarship programs for colleagues’ children. Visit here for opportunities to work at HCA Healthcare.
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About HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, is comprised of 183 hospitals and more than 2,300 sites of care, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. Our more than 283,000 colleagues are connected by a single purpose — to give patients healthier tomorrows.
As an enterprise, we recognize the significant responsibility we have as a leading healthcare provider within each of the communities we serve, as well as the opportunity we have to improve the lives of the patients for whom we are entrusted to care. Through the compassion, knowledge and skill of our caregivers, and our ability to leverage our scale and innovative capabilities, HCA Healthcare is in a unique position to play a leading role in the transformation of care.
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