Missy Hopson, PhD, Chief Learning and Workforce Development Officer at Ochsner Health: Retention through Moving Them Up

Persistent labor shortages have spurred some healthcare systems to take a “grow-your-own” approach that involves upskilling current employees to supplement external recruitment. Today on WorkforceRx, we’re going to learn about an innovator in this area, Ochsner Health System in Louisiana, which uses coaches, apprenticeships, and flexible pathways to help advance its employee’s skills and careers. “You really have to have that mindset shift that we are a learning culture and we're all-in on employee development,” says Missy Hopson, PhD, Ochsner's Chief Learning and Workforce Development Officer. As Hopson shares with Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan, there have been some impressive results. Using medical assistants as an example, 94% who went through Ochsner’s apprenticeship pathway program were still on the job 18 months later, a huge jump over the normal 18-month retention rate of 55%. Broader retention efforts include making in-house career coaches available to all employees and deploying life coaches when employees face difficult circumstances that might create barriers to staying on the job, such as problems with transportation or family instability. “If needs go unmet, you often end up rolling out of the organization and we miss out on the opportunity of having that win-win relationship between the person who's joined us and their future self,” says Hopson. Tune in for the illuminating details of how Hopson and her team have won over hiring managers and senior leaders with a compelling business case for DIY workforce development and providing holistic support for employees.