Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to KMET fourteen ninety am ABC News Radio in
the Southern California Business Report with the Vett Walker, a
show dedicated to highlighting successful Southern California businesses and the
people behind there.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome and thank you for joining ABC News and Talks
Southern California Business Report on fourteen ninety am, ninety eight
point one FM and km ETTV. I'm Vetwalker live blasting
our signal from the center of Southern California, serving a
population of over twenty five million. Get us crystal clear
and on demand by downloading the free live streaming app
(00:38):
on Google Play and the Apple lap Store. As always,
a tremendous shout out to the team Mitch, Bill and
Sean I love you so much, and to our special
advisory committee that can be found at www dot scbr
talk dot com Forward Slash Advisory Committee. Click on link
(01:00):
and learn about the incredible leaders doing the work and
of course, today speaking of leaders which I always focus on,
to focus on solutions, opportunities and success with unwavering vision
and compassion, Doctor Aileen Dingjian and Syrah Rimachita are united
in rewriting the future of community health. One student, one partnership,
(01:24):
one bold idea at a time. Doctor Dingjian, and nationally
recognized architect of workforce innovation, has devoted her career to
bridging the gaps that separate vulnerable populations from the promise
of health and opportunity. As Associate vice president of Population
Health and executive director of the Lewis San Antonio Healthy
(01:46):
Communities Institute, she transforms systemic challenges into pathways for access,
championing programs that connect students to meaningful careers and communities
to better health. Alongside her, Sirah Ramchica brings relentless dedication
and a rare gift for collaboration, guiding cross sector initiatives,
(02:09):
nurturing tomorrow's healthcare leaders, and building bridges where none existed before. Together,
their leadership is not just a blueprint for workforce transformation,
but a living testament to the power of purpose, partnership,
and hope. In their hands, the future of public health
is not only brighter, it is attainable for all. Thank
(02:30):
you so much for being with us today, Eileen and Sirah.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Thank you for having both of us. Yeah, thank you
for having us.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Lovely, Okay, Syrah. So we're going to start with you
looking back, what inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare,
particularly through a non clinical pathway.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
So, funnily enough, I was never someone who wanted to
be in the non clinical space. I thought I was
going to be a nurse as I was growing up,
and I quickly realized that nursing is not for me.
And it was through some of the courses I took
in undergrad where I got perspective on the social determinants
of health and things that contribute to an individual's health
(03:11):
that really made me want to pursue public health. And
that was a way where I could still handle both
meeting patients where they're at, but also that preventative side
of things. I saw a lack of education out in
the community that I'm from, and I really wanted to
be a part of bridging some of that gap between education,
public health, and healthcare. So that's kind of how my
(03:33):
journey started. And I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well, thank you so much, and Nileen, you are a
repeat guest. You know, I just love talking to you
and following your progress as you lead the Lewis San
Antonio Healthy Communities Institute. So as we know Syrah joined
San Antonio Regional Hospital during the height of the pandemic.
How did the unique challenges of that period influence your
(03:56):
approach to onboarding and supporting new talent.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah. Absolutely. I think what I saw what Sarah did
was she was able to navigate graciously through the pandemic
and she shared a lot of stories with me about
those challenges from being in person and being online and
virtual for her internship, and so it was really important
post pandemic that folks that are missing out on those
experiences gained the skills and the knowledge of re assimilating
(04:24):
into society because it was post awkward right when folks
were getting back into the workplace, not sure how to
work with colleagues again because we've been virtual. So the
goal really was and I saw this with Sarah was
providing these in service trainings that helped prepare them to
interact and face with our community members. And she developed
(04:46):
this beautiful internship manual, which I thought was great to
continue to improve the process and learn throughout the journey
of her being the trailblazers and the veteran of our
current organization and offering additional insights to our new generation
of interns that are coming into the field.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Absolutely no, And I love that fact that Cyrus started
as an intern at the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities
Institute and today is now part of your you know,
full time team as the Population and Health director capacity. Sirah,
Can you describe your experience as a non clinical intern,
(05:23):
What were your expectations and how did the program shape
you your early understanding of healthcare outside of the clinical aspect.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Yeah, so this internship was really my first exposure to
public health, specifically within a health healthcare institute. My internship
was completely remote because we were during the pandemic. It
was twenty twenty, and my role was really focused on
addressing mental health and supporting the mental health of not
only our community members but staff for educators out in
(05:55):
our schools that we're still teaching, And so my expectations
were just gaining as much as I could. Especially in
a virtual capacity, you're kind of limited with who you
can interact with and how those interactions happen. But through
that I kind of pushed through and I was given
so many opportunities to sit into various meeting things, meet
with different community stakeholders and really address the needs of
(06:17):
our community in a completely different way than I had imagined.
Especially going through education. Many of us know what you
go to school for is not necessarily how it translates
when you're out working. So it was really interesting to
see theory versus practice and getting to be a part
of that was the highlight of my internship, and a
(06:38):
lot of what I took under the leadership I was
under is what I hope to provide for future interns
at San Antonio Regional Hospital as well. And yeah, it's
just my expectations were just taking advantage of every opportunity
that I had because we were in the midst of
a pandemic and we didn't know what was going to happen.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Absolutely, Sigar.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
So you mentioned part of your initial tasks were to
assist with the community and the staff at San Antonio
Regional Hospital address of course, I'm sure prevalent and understandable
mental health issues and challenges. What are some of the
ways you were able to serve that community.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Yeah, so as an intern, I was actually able to
get certified to be a mental health first aid trainer,
and so the way mental health first aid is framed
as very much like CPR for mental health, and it
was addressing things like suicide and isolation and how to
navigate conversations around those who might be feeling things like
depression and anxiety. And so, as an intern, I was
(07:40):
being offered the opportunity to get trained to teach this,
and so I had the opportunity to train not only
leadership at the hospital, but also other interns, volunteers, some
of our health coaches, and beyond that, we were also
able to provide the training in both English and Spanish
to our community members in a virtual format. That it
(08:00):
was meeting the needs of the community during that time.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
And from there that program.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Kind of grew and we were able to do more
mental health related topics out in the community. We've partnered
with various organizations to provide that as we've seen mental
health becoming prevalent and post internship, it's only just grown.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
And I love that I get to do that.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Wow, that is a real one, so exciting, Eileen. How
does the Louis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute embody the
hospital's commitment to improving community health and what role do
non clinical team members like Syrah play in that mission?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, I think the most unique thing about what we
do at the Louis San Antonio Healthy Community Institute is
that we provide health education in the classroom and we
also provide spaces for our high school students to shadow
at the hospital. And it's something that is critical to
addressing the workforce shortage, and Siah being the lead in
our workforce development for noncl internships and also being the
(09:01):
product of our health education in the classrooms. Her experience,
her varied experiences across from working with the youth and
now working across our college age students and beyond, has
demonstrated that we have a significant gap that we're trying
to fill into the field, especially in public health, and
there are, like she mentioned, mental health is one of
(09:22):
those areas that our school districts locally are facing and
we're hearing all the time the gravity that the pressures
that they're getting in schools and in the bathrooms. There's
a lot of different, you know, things that they're exploring
and how do they navigate all these different issues that
come with being an adolescent. And we combat that by
(09:43):
being there with the mental health fairs and providing the
eight Dimensions of Wellness, which that was her project. That's
the different dimensions of wellness was something that she brought
onto our lewis Hana and to Healthy Community Institute programming
and now is passed on to other in that are
currently with us sharing these different layers of social wellness,
(10:05):
financial wellness, occupational wellness. And she can definitely describe all
that with you. And it's really important because they don't
they tell us, we don't get this in the classroom.
We don't know, we don't know the next steps about
getting into college and what the financial burden is going
to look like. And if they're thinking like that in
an early stage, how are we going to expect them
to go into the workforce and pay for school and
(10:28):
then find the job. So I think we've done a
really great job as a hospital integrating the workforce assets
that needs to be integrated as essential for students to
understand and learn and apply as they carry on into
their journey, their educational and career journeys.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
That's absolutely true. You know, when you think about those
stigmas that have been developed before they've even interfaced with
that opportunity to go, you know, pursue a degree. How
do you overcome that? I can only imagine? So Syrah
tell us about these eight dimensions of wellness that you
established and have created this phenomenal program for.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, And I can't take full credit for that, but
as an intern, I was tasked with this opportunity to
provide mental health well being workshop for high school students
and it came across the eight dimensions of wellness and
there's these eight components that make up our wellness that
include some of what Ali mentioned, financial wellness, intellectual, environmental wellness.
(11:28):
Especially during a time like the pandemic. When my internship was,
most of our students were at home distance learning, and
so the environment they were in was not only their home,
which could be their safe space, it was also their classroom,
the library where they were studying, So that the environment
you're in can affect your ability and how you're mentally
taking on some of the roles as a student. And
(11:50):
so was able to put together a workshop for high
school students and from there, like Aileen said, it's kind
of blossomed and it's been really great to see our
current in terns take this framework that I helped to
develop for San Antonio to share it out to this
next generation of students where learning students are learning differently
than they were five years ago. They don't want to
(12:13):
be lectured at. They want to learn in a way
that's engaging, and we've learned how to gamify this program,
and so students are partaking in discussions and different activities
where they're not only discussing the eight dimensions of illness,
but they're actively learning about them in a way that
is not like you're just speaking to someone. So it's
(12:33):
been really great to see something that I started off
working on almost five years ago take off into something
that is just such a phenomenal program. And I'm really
proud of the team for continuing that work because it's
much needed and we hear we hear from the students
that they're really enjoying it.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
That is beaderful.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
What a great innovative way to really make a positive
impact in the lives of the next generation of hopefully
and potentially healthcare work in addition to other critical areas
in the workforce.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
That we need.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Eileen, non clinical rules are often overlooked in healthcare. How
do you emphasize their importance in both the hospital and
the broader community And what have you seen from students
saying about their feedback regarding the eight Dimensions of Wellness.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yeah, I think in general, what we've offered, we've expanded
our non clinical internships, so folks can actually enter in
our marketing department and in our ORTHO or our community
health improvement program, and that provides them a different perspective
of what goes on beyond. You know, as a public
health person, we're out in the community masters and health administration.
(13:43):
They want a little bit more insights to what the
operations look like at a hospital, and so we want
to provide them with as much exposure as we can
offer as a hospital entity. But at the same time,
we also listen to see, Okay, they clearly have no
clear path. Yeah, I think the biggest worry they have
is that will I have a job when I finish
(14:05):
my program? And tying it back to the question about
the eight dimensions, you know, that is something that they
are learning as they are developing and improving the curriculum,
and I've seen how they get excited knowing that emotional
wellness is one of those areas that they they realized, oh,
you know, that actually helps me engage better with the
students that I work with, or engage better in the
(14:26):
workplace with folks if I can tie some emotion to
the areas that they're interested in. So I thought that
was really interesting just to hear the feedback from students
that have gone through our program. We keep an alumni
network with the HCI Lewis Antitude and Healthy Communities Institute
that Sara also has created and kept track of, because
(14:49):
we want to be able to share back opportunities with
them as they come become available, and we're excited that
a lot of them they have come, you know, come
back to our program as volunteers years, they've gone out
in our health screenings and got additional exposures, and I
always encourage them if you don't have a job currently
at this moment, volunteering and having that experience under your
(15:10):
belt is so critical. We help aid and guide them
in that process because we know sometimes other hospitals don't
have that kind of capacity. And even though I know
we are also short on bandwidth, we try to find
the opportunities to meet the students where they're at, and
we know it's difficult already as it is in the workforce.
So I think we've done a pretty good job and
(15:31):
enhancing their experience as a hospital with the trainings we
provide and the leadership that Sarah has led as the.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Veteran of our program, that is remarkable.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
I love that Sirah is basically the poster child for
the non clinical internship side of it. But to clarify,
the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute also accepts and
trains clinical interns as well. Can you please just give
us a brief overview of these phenomenal opportunities that clinical
interns have opportunity to experience through the Lewis San Antonio
(16:02):
Healthy Communities Institute at San Antonio Regional Hospital.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Yeah, absolutely so, And I want to start back to
we do provide STEM programming for fourth graders or fifth
graders in our schools elementary school space and that gets
them excited into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programming
and getting that early exposure is so key. And throughout
that journey, we have started a high school clinical shadowing
(16:29):
program and that gives them the exposure in different departments
eighteen different departments at San Antonio Regional Hospital where they
can learn directly from our professional staff, our clinical staff
on site about their journey. It could be from a
a medical assistant or a PA, a physician assistant or
a physical therapist. It doesn't it. Sometimes students come into
(16:52):
our program thinking they know what they want to do.
A lot of them have said, I want to be
an optalmologist or a pediatrician because that's all they've probably
known when they growing up in learning about healthcare. But
at the same time we provide them with the professional
development opportunities as well. A lot of the students don't
understand what health insurance is and what the different health
(17:12):
insurance you know, provides for them and what it what
it would mean for them later on in life, and
so we try to integrate a lot of the different
information that is coming probably from their parents and their
families and ensuring that they are equipped with more knowledge
and more exposure in the clinical setting. So I think
this is definitely one of those areas where we always
(17:33):
try to reconvene them and recognize them for their accomplished work.
Because we bring students from all over the region locally
from Fontana Rancho Chino in making sure that they have
opportunities that maybe their schools don't provide for them. And
so our team has done a phenomenal job onboarding close
to sixty students this past summer, in ensuring that they
(17:55):
have these new pathways to consider as they think about
maybe a two year college or a four year college
as they get into that world.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
That is phenomenal. Sirah, how did the internship program facilitate
your integration into the healthcare field, particularly as someone without
a clinical background.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
So, I think this internship when I was part of
the internship program, really helped me in the sense of
the work that we do as more public health focused
or more community facing. So I had a background in that,
and it was really just tying in my passion for
helping others and addressing health.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
And equities into what we do at work.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
To me, this internship didn't feel like an internship, and
my job certainly doesn't feel like a job because I
feel like I'm doing my part to support my community
and there's just so much growth that happens here at
San Antonio where I felt like if I had questions,
I could go to someone and ask, you know, as
someone without a clinical background, what information should I be
sharing to our community when it comes to cardiovascular disease
(18:58):
or things like early heart attack care? And things like that.
So I think the hospital does a really phenomenal job
at making sure that folks who are on the non
clinical side are still very much made aware of what's
going on in the community. What are we seeing come
through our ed and how can we provide additional support
to doing those opportunities for students to help address some
(19:26):
of those those chronic conditions.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
And that's really what it's about, is addressing those chronic
conditions and of course highlighting the important value of preventative
medicine and meeting the community where they are. Eileen, what
strategies do you use to build agreements with educational institutions
and how do you ensure alignment between school curricula and
the hospital's non clinical workforce needs.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Yeah, it starts off with just a general conversation. Oftentimes
we might meet someone in the field or they'll reach
out to us saying, you know, do you have space
for students to be trained at your hospital? And it
really just starts with listening and seeing what the needs are,
what they're looking for and if it's a fit. We
have additional conversations about how we can support those students
(20:10):
that are looking for areas that they may be interested in.
Sometimes we don't have the specific service line that they're
looking for. It's if it's not going to support them
in their educational journey. But in terms of establishing those agreements,
it really takes us working in partnership with our internal department,
especially the regulatory pieces, and making sure this is feasible
(20:32):
and that we have staff that have the capacity to
also support and supervise students that will be their preceptors
and in providing the mentorship for the students. And so
we want to be very mindful of at a hospital setting,
right everything is urgent and you know, there's a lot
of emerging issues that may come about, and so we
do want to make sure there's flexibility around when when
(20:55):
we have students that are onboard it. So we work
with our volunteer services and making sure they're they're getting
their TVs in and you know, all the compliant you know,
documentations that is required to be at a hospital setting.
They understand HIPPA and OSHA and all those things that
are infection control and and for the most part, the
(21:16):
academic institutions that reach out to us understand that there
are parameters we have to you know, lean on and
ensuring that we have the right capacity to support these students,
and if not, we do encourage them to consider applying
to be a volunteer, because sometimes it is limited in
finding the right number of students that we can onboard.
(21:36):
But for our process, specifically for non clinical internships, I
think we've done a pretty good job doing personal outreach
to the institutions that are already engaged with us and
have these agreements in place. So I would say that
for the what we've been able to establish has been
fairly successful. Because we've had students that were interns are
now onboarded as full staff. I would say ninety percent
(21:58):
of them we're former and continue to pass on the
wisdom that they've shared and experienced with our non clinical.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Internship wonderful Sirah. While transitioning from intern to full time staff,
what were the key challenges you faced and how did
the hospital support systems help you overcome them?
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Yeah, So when I transitioned, I actually was. I started
off part time, which was perfect because I was still
in the process of finishing my master's degree, so my
work schedule was very accommodating to finishing my program while
also meeting the needs of my role and since then,
I think for me, the biggest challenge was trying to
figure out what to do with all my free time
(22:41):
once I finished my program, because I just wanted to
continue to give and I also needed to learn that
work life balance, and so my current role has really
helped me learn. You know, it's okay to give it,
you're all, but it's.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Okay to take a break.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
And my workplace supports that, which is the biggest thing
I can ask for. And transitioning was very easy because
I was doing the work as an intern, so it
didn't feel like I was doing anything new.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
That is remarkable. Okay, we are coming up on a break, everybody.
Evette Walker with ABC News and Talks Southern California Business
Report Here with doctor Eileen Dingjune, a visionary architect of
community health, and Sirah once a non clinical intern, now
a catalyst for progress forge alliances that bridge education and access. Together,
(23:29):
they are redefining what is possible in regional healthcare, proving
the power of innovation and collaboration. When we return.
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Speaker 2 (26:50):
Welcome back everyone, Evatt Walker with ABC News and Talks
Southern California Business Report. Here today with doctor Eileen Dingchen,
a visionary architect of community health, and Ramchita Wants a
non clinical intern now a catalyst for progress, forge alliances
that bridge education and access. Together they are redefining what
(27:10):
is possible in regional healthcare, proving the power of innovation
and collaboration. Thank you both for.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Being with us today. Thank Youririan.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
So prior to the break, you gave us an overview
of what the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute is about,
providing and allowing students to experience clinical and non clinical
healthcare career pathways. And before the break, Eileen, you mentioned
(27:42):
volunteer opportunity, so we're going to hit on that. Can
you share how volunteer services and non clinical internship programs
complement clinical programs to create a holistic talent pipeline.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Yeah, absolutely, I think it's really essential. If we were
to bring on non clinical interns into the hospital space
that we streamline any of the processes so it's not
as difficult and people don't feel like they have to
go through multiple avenues to just come to a hospital
setting to get experience. And so we definitely lean on
our Volunteer Services program who bring on volunteers at the hospital,
(28:18):
but they also provide everyone that's at the hospital should
be getting the same amount of information as staff. You know,
generally we are exposed to patients that have sensitive information
or people across the hallway that we might know, and
how do we react if it's our neighbor perhaps that's
at the ED. So we want to be cohesive as
(28:40):
cohesive as possible when we develop our pipeline in non
clinical workforce development programming, and a lot of that really
is because we are grateful that there's a process already
in place that's implementing that. And what comes with that
is our part is also partnering with our compliance officer
and making sure that all of the agreements in place
(29:00):
and that we have all our nuts and bolts that
are well aligned with the mission that we have. Why
we have a non clinical internship program, oftentimes there's always
like an off ramp or an on ramp that people
go into clinical setting, and then there's the off ramp,
like like Cyra said, I want to be a nurse
or I want to be in clinical setting, but bedside
(29:21):
is not where I want to be. But I still
want to be in healthcare, and they don't know what
that looks like. And so I'm really grateful we have
a space here at San Antonio where we are physically
located in an up and coming center of aging, where
we have our administration house, and they get exposure to
our finance, a department, a marketing department, a foundation, and
(29:42):
they didn't know some of these things existed because we're
kind of like the behind the scenes no one really
talks about because we're not frontline workers the way our
clinical staff are. And so I love that they get
to meet other folks across the hallway and learn a
little bit about who they are, why they got into
to the field. Sometimes people just land into the positions
(30:02):
that they're at and learn that I actually really like
doing this, like the work that I've been doing with
data and curating information. Sarah is one of those that
I was like, we're going to get into data and
she's like, I would love to explore it a little
bit more. And now she's like one of the pros
that I lean on. So I think it really the
more exposure we provide in the non clinical setting, it
(30:23):
provides that additional foundation and pillars that helps our hospital
with its strengths and achieving the strategies that we want
to accomplish as a hospital as a whole.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Well, I love that because it's a multifaceted approach that
allows incoming, you know, potential future non clinical employees and
workforce people to have their horizons broadened and get a
very good view of what opportunities actually exists behind the scenes.
As you mentioned, they're not frontline workers, but just as
(30:56):
critical to keep the whole, you know, working system going. Sirah,
I know, compliance is a huge part of what you do.
How do you ensure your work as a population health
coordinator remains in compliance with evolving school policies and educational standards.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Yeah, So, like Aileen mentioned before the break, it's all
about having those conversations. So we typically start off with
talking to our university partners seeing what their requirements are
for students who need an internship and then we kind
of go back and forth and determine what San Antonio's
policies are. We work with our compliance officer to ensure
that all of our hospital policies are being met. Like
(31:36):
Aileen mentioned, all of our students are onboard in the
same way staff are, so they go through the same orientation,
they sign all of the same documentation to make sure
that they're in compliance. And we haven't had issues where
students were not wanting to sign off on certain documentations
because I think they understand as a healthcare institute, there
are certain parameters, especially regarding HIPPAA and privacy that do
(31:59):
need to be take in very seriously.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Of course, yes, we all know HIPPA is so important
and one of the cornerstones and almost you know, a
tablet bible of not ever you know, breaking any of
the HIPPA guidelines and policies, Eileen. San Antonio Regional Hospital
is recognized for pioneering professional development initiatives such as your
(32:25):
non clinical and clinical internship programs through the Lewis San
Antonio Healthy Communities Institute. What makes your approach to workforce
development unique among premier hospitals.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Oh gosh, I think we've done. We do a lot
of things, and I think it's how we integrate and
support the different training opportunities we offer. Because right now
we have our medical residency program, we have nursing students,
we have the volunteer we have non clinical interns, and
we have community health workers and the consideration of bringing
on community health worker interns that are that have lived experiences,
(32:59):
and I would say we're really more than just providing
task and areas that they can improve skills on. We
teach a lot of our students that are coming on
board the mission, you know, they have to understand why
there's health inequities in our community. We introduce them to
our community Health Needs Assessment because that is also the
(33:19):
guiding document that tells us how are we doing as
a community, why are there so many different disparities, and
if they're coming in with cardiovascular health issues, what can
we do to co create an opportunity to do better
health screenings in you know, different zip codes in our area.
So I think what we do is really intentional work.
(33:40):
And I love that we integrate our students that come
from different aspects of our training at the hospital in
real life work. So there are pans on and they
are boots on the ground and helping us understand and
collect data, surveys information. They're even teaching in the classroom,
and it's something that I think we're building a gap
(34:00):
that most folks that don't don't ordinarily do, or most
hospitals don't do. The most unique thing about HCI is
that we have that educational arm and aspect into this school.
So it's not just students. We're also engaging with parents,
So we provide parent engagement training or workshops to help
them understand better how to support their families with generational
(34:23):
trauma that they may have experienced, and how they navigate
through the challenges. So there's more than just really helping
the students be trained. But we provide those early exposures
or other exposures with the students we work with with parents,
you know, that's a different audience too, and and immigrant
families that are in the in the community and understanding
(34:43):
how do we address those that are not speaking the
same language as us, but still provide the education that
they should have as it relates for our health.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
Sorry, I wanted to add to that as well. I
think a unique thing that we do is meeting our
community where they're at, whether that's our college students, whether
it's our clinical shadowing, high school students, or even community members.
We're taking their input into consideration. We have work for
them to do, but what are they hoping to get
out of our internship opportunities and how can we provide
(35:14):
that to them so that this experience is meaningful and
impactful to them in the long run.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Right, And what I was going to say is I
love that you use that Community Help Needs Assessment data,
which is basically a living and evolving document that reflects
the true patterns of chronic illnesses that our communities are experiencing.
So the fact that you integrate that into an upstream
approach to create those preventative opportunities, be it screening, education,
(35:43):
and workshops, that is absolutely remarkable and why I just
admire your work and will always support it. Obviously, Sira.
At a previous conversation, you mentioned the alumni network. Can
you please share what the alumni network plays supporting both
current interns and recent graduates as they enter the healthcare workforce.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:06):
So, I think a unique part of our programming and
through the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute is our
HCI alumni network, and it's really an opportunity for our
students to continue to stay engage with us, whether they
are our college aged non clinical interns or clinical shadowing students.
Anytime we have opportunities at San Antonio on our team
(36:28):
or even with our community partners, we always share that
out first with our alumni network, and it's one of.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
The first.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Ways that our students get to engage and network and
stay within our network. We've seen so many success stories.
As Aileen mentioned, almost ninety percent of our own team
our former interns, and that's such a highlight for me
as someone who's got into work on developing and revamping
our program. To see students that i've helped train now
(36:56):
on my team as colleagues at a different level is
a amazing and it's all because we've kept in contact
with them, where it just as invested in our students
once they leave our programs as they are in when
they're in our programs. So the alumni network is something
I'm very proud to say that San Antonio does have.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
That is remarkable. What a tremendous asset and resource not
only for the hospital but those that have touched base
and been in communication with those hospital and expressed interests
either in clinical or non clinical workforce opportunities. Eileen, what
feedback do you receive from interns, both clinical and non
(37:35):
clinical that helps you refine and enhance your programs?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Yeah. I think the bottom line that I always get
from our interns is what do you want to do?
What do you want to gain out of this experience?
And we tailor every cohort, you know, in terms of
as small as like we want polos because we want
to feel more professional when to go out in our field.
And I said, that's actually a really great feedback because
we gave currently like T shirts and the appearance really
(38:01):
matters too, and the little might be little might be big.
I'm not sure how people view it, but I don't
take anything very lightly in terms of their feedback. I
take it to heart because sometimes we hear it from
one core to the next and we're thinking, we need
to really do something about engaging. And so another part
of that that I've heard from our interns like we
want to be more engaged with other departments or how
(38:23):
and sometimes they have different schedules and we try to
figure out how do we bring them all in the
same room at the same time time and they're busy,
right they're either in the field or we're crossing paths
and we're passing by each other, we're up and down,
and so it is something that I always take to
heart in terms of how do we make this experience
really meaningful for them, because at the end of the day,
we want them to also build camaraderie and have new colleagues,
(38:47):
and these are new networks. And I always emphasize this,
your networking amongst your own colleagues. Who's going to go
and rise, you know, to do a lot of great
things in the community, and you want to get to
know who they were. You don't want to just like, oh,
I remember your name ten years ago when I was
interning at San Antonio, but we just never got to talk,
you know. And I think just that level of engagement,
(39:09):
it starts with that, and so many great things can
come out of it. And I think we've done a
really good job from what we've seen in the past
where folks really just came in again it's post pandemic.
What I saw was people would walk in do the work,
and they did a great job, but they would leave,
and so we were like, Okay, hold on, hold on,
hold on, we need to reconvene and reconsider how we
can engage to students better in the world that we're in.
(39:33):
And I think our space really matters too, So I
definitely take feedback to heart in terms of how they
feel and checking in individually with all the interns and
letting them know I'm also here if you ever need
some guidance and mentorship, because having them know there is
someone that's cheering them on. They I always hear this too.
They feel like they're just a small part of our program.
(39:56):
They don't really matter as much as the big and
I said, no, you are. You're in front of, front
and center of the work that we do. They are
the drivers, especially in our health education in the schools,
and without them we can't do what we do.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
I love that to integrate that importance of developing that communication,
that relationship as they are interns, because as you mentioned,
you don't know as the years go on, as the
decades move forward, where your fellow interns are going to land,
So you know, making those forming those connections, keeping them
alive and establishing and re establishing through this network that
(40:33):
you have developed is such an important and wonderful asset. Sirah,
How does your current role enable you to bridge the
gap between education and healthcare employment for future non clinical professionals.
Speaker 4 (40:48):
I think a big part of it is my role
with overseeing the non clinical internship program. I get firsthand
experience working with all of our student interns, and it's
just always amazing because they ask me my career journey
and I feel like I don't have much experience, but
at the end of the day, when I'm talking to them,
it makes me remind myself how much work I've actually
(41:10):
done and how much of the work I've done at
San Antonio helps continue growing our student interns and their work,
and so bridging that gap includes hearing from our interns.
Like Aileen said, we like to listen and see what
feedback they're giving us from things as smalle as switching
our shirts from T shirts to a polo shirt to
more engagement. They want to be involved in some of
(41:30):
our meetings, whether it's just sitting in and observing, learning
how collaboration truly happens at a healthcare organization and with
the nature of the work we do out in the community.
So it's a lot of just involving them. We don't
see our interns as beneath us. They are walking the
lines right next to us. And I think I can
(41:51):
speak for our team when we share that our interns
bring such valuable insight. They're learning things that are new
that we may not.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Have access to.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
And so not only are we learning from them, but
they get the opportunity to learn from some of us
experienced professionals as well. And it's not just teaching them
how to go out and educate, it's teaching them just
general workplace norms and how to be integrated into the
workplace that you're in.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
I love that, and I love that you teach them
that they are just as important as everybody else. And
I love that you liken them to not being amba,
but being far more important and critical to the larger landscape. Eileen,
how does your mission driven philosophy shape the culture of
workforce development and retention at San Antonio Regional Hospital.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Yeah, that's a big one for me because I want
to always know what's to purpose, what will keep you here,
will what excites you about the work that you do,
And when I understand better what their mission is this
is more than just a job. They're on a mission
to really help improve the community's health, or they're here
to help provide additional education on nutrition, whatever it might be.
(43:03):
I want to hone in on those interests because if
that opportunity doesn't exist in our community, then where is
it and why doesn't it exist? So I start questioning
how we're going to create these pipelines for students if
there's no opportunity available for them. But that's but we're
always saying we want to keep them here in our
region and serve our region. But if it's not here,
(43:23):
we got to figure out how to create that space
for them. So for me, I think it's really important
to continue to listen students are continually evolving and changing
and learning their language in terms of what they say
these days, and even just getting a good understanding of
how they communicate with each other and understanding what's the
(43:47):
most valuable important thing for them helps me understand how
we can formulate and create these new opportunities together because
and I think we really do a good job of
listening to the community and implementing and it's not just
like ten year five year plan. We actually take action
right away, and so that for me says a lot
about our seriousness of making sure we are retaining students
(44:11):
to come back and work with us, and if there's
no space here, are we training them to be in
a space where we will collaborate and be collaborators of
each other.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
I love that because when you do step back and
you look at it, the work that you're conducting today
is going to have implications five, ten, fifteen, twenty five,
fifty years down the line, and those are the healthcare
workers that are going to be taking care of us
when we need it most. Right, Sirah, reflecting on your journey,
what advice would you offer to students considering non clinical
(44:42):
careers in healthcare?
Speaker 4 (44:44):
I would say, be open to any opportunity that comes
your way. I never knew about public health until I
was in college, and I'm so grateful to be a
part of an organization that provides these opportunities as early
as fourth grade to learn of about healthcare and public
health and all that we do. So my advice to
(45:05):
the future generation of the public health and healthcare workforce
is to be open to the opportunities that are provided.
Put yourself out there The worst thing someone can say
is no, and that's okay. You can take that and
turn it into a positive and make it a learning experience.
And to add to that would be network and keep
in contact with your network. You never know where you're
(45:25):
going to end up, and you never know if you're
going to be in the same place as someone you
worked with when you were an intern or when you
were in school. So take advantage of the opportunities that
are provided. There are people out there that want those
opportunities and they're not given them. So if you're provided
an opportunity, I would recommend taking advantage of that.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
I love that and such a great way to really
view your future career and guide students as they march
forward in their journey in healthcare or other career avenues
that they may select. Eileen, As the healthcare landscape evolves,
how do you envision the future of non clinical workforce
(46:04):
development and what legacy do you hope to leave through
the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute.
Speaker 3 (46:11):
Yeah, I hope students will continue to expand the horizon
and expand the lens that they provide. They come in
here with an educational background, getting their degree, and then
I want them to leave with more insights of what
the healthcare space looks like. Like I mentioned, it could
be marketing, it could be in a foundation, could be
in finance. However, for the future, I really think it's
(46:34):
important for them to be flexible. It's important to one day,
we don't know, we might become a research institution at
some point, and make sure they have the opportunities and
to not decline any in anything that is relevant to
the work that they're interested in. Because if you think
about marketing, right, if you're a marketing major, you didn't
(46:55):
think you could come into a healthcare space. You might
be a business major. Our CEO has an MBA, you know,
And so I think that says a lot about how
we take the educational background that we bring to the
table and be able to learn the landscape of a
healthcare space. So being at a hospital setting, you could
(47:16):
be an academic medical center, you can be at another university.
But there are components and the essential fundamentals and skills
that are transferable that you can apply. And I think
the most important thing for the future is to tell students,
you know, ask students just to place, just pay close
attention to the environment that's around you, because you never
know where you're going to take that skill next, and
(47:37):
the job market could be great, the job market could
not be great. But you have these essential skills that
you can offer to any organization, especially a non clinical workforce.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
Absolutely, you mentioned the CEO and President, John Chapman, who
has an MBA but also a microbiologist, which is right
so unexpected. But Syrah, what are your hopes for the
ongoing impact of the alumni network and non clinical career
programs in shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
I hope that the students that we work with just
take advantage of the opportunities and that they get to
be the next work the next generation of this workforce. Ultimately,
that's our goal, right We want to make sure that
folks that are coming through our programs stay within our region.
We have a lot to offer and it's always great
to build up.
Speaker 3 (48:25):
The next generation.
Speaker 4 (48:26):
And I'm very proud of the fact that I get
to work with some of these students who acknowledge all
of the work that we're doing and say they want
to stay in the region, which is partwarming to me
as someone who's been in San Mardino County pretty much
my entire life. My goal is just to make sure
that our students are supported whether or not they stay
at San Antonio. That's why I'm emphasizing networking. It's such
(48:50):
a big thing and we just.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
Need to keep our students here.
Speaker 2 (48:55):
I love that sentiment, siraum Eileen. Finally, what does it
mean to you personally and professionally to see former interns
like Sirah thrive and contribute to the hospital's mission and
the community at large.
Speaker 3 (49:09):
Yeah, I mean, secretly, I'm constantly crying because I'm so
proud because I just the joy of watching such growth
and seeing where the students go after their internship, and
especially Sarah being the trailblazer of the work that we've done.
I'm very proud to see them continue to go through
(49:30):
different challenges because the workforce and healthcare, there's always constant challenges,
you know, that are either environmental or could be you know,
areas that we are still developing and trying to understand
as we develop programs, and so I think the growth
in general, I'm so proud to see Syrah flourish from
post pandemic and now leading in our community. She leads
(49:54):
our collaborative addressing the un house population for older adults
and just from the evolution of health education to now
helping us coordinate population health initiatives and leading collaboratives across
the community and helping facilitate it shows that growth. And
my goal is really to see other interns take what
they know. They come in here kind of just still
(50:16):
figuring things out, but starting to own it, right. I
want them to own and champion in our community. And
that's what I kind of see all of our interests, like,
you're all going to be champions in our community because
we need you and it's urgent. And I hope that
they do stick around and stay locally because there's a
lot of work to be had and a lot of
love to give. And that's my message for our interns
(50:38):
is that I really hope that they continue to on
the journey that they're passionate about and to reach back
to us at HCI to learn how to get in
contact with different connections that will help them with their
career journey.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
Well, Eileen, Sirah, I just absolutely love the message that
you shared with us today. I love the work that
you're providing, you know, just the integral not only workforce
development aspect to serve our communities, but meeting our community
where they are for population health initiatives. Your work is astounding.
(51:17):
I love following it. I can't wait to have you
back on for an update to tell us what is
happening at the Louis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute and
at San Antonio Regional Hospital. Thank you for taking the
time to share your incredible work.
Speaker 3 (51:33):
Yeah, thank you all.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
Right for everybody listening. Don't forget to find us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn,
and Instagram. Check us out on SCBR talk dot com.
Don't miss my conversation with Caesar Navarete Wants. A child
of poverty and abuse, Caesar now leads as President and
CEO of Children's Fund, turning his own pain into hope
(51:55):
for the Inland empires most vulnerable. For over twenty years,
he's proven that resilience and compassion can ignite a movement
and real lasting change. Next week, in the Vanguard of
compassionate care and academic excellence, stand doctor Lisa Warren, a
visionary pediatrician and medical educational leader, and doctor Mary Lopez,
(52:16):
a pioneering nurse scientist dedicated to advancing health Equity with
Western University of Health Sciences. Together their unwavering commitment to
shapes the future of healthcare, inspiring the next generation with brilliance, empathy,
and tireless devotion to vulnerable populations. You do not want
to miss it.
Speaker 5 (52:35):
We will see you all next week.
Speaker 10 (53:00):
The different spaces were set tased from scrapal propert
Welcome to KMET fourteen ninety am ABC News Radio in
the Southern California Business Report with the Vett Walker, a
show dedicated to highlighting successful Southern California businesses and the
people behind there.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome and thank you for joining ABC News and Talks
Southern California Business Report on fourteen ninety am, ninety eight
point one FM and km ETTV. I'm Vetwalker live blasting
our signal from the center of Southern California, serving a
population of over twenty five million. Get us crystal clear
and on demand by downloading the free live streaming app
(00:38):
on Google Play and the Apple lap Store. As always,
a tremendous shout out to the team Mitch, Bill and
Sean I love you so much, and to our special
advisory committee that can be found at www dot scbr
talk dot com Forward Slash Advisory Committee. Click on link
(01:00):
and learn about the incredible leaders doing the work and
of course, today speaking of leaders which I always focus on,
to focus on solutions, opportunities and success with unwavering vision
and compassion, Doctor Aileen Dingjian and Syrah Rimachita are united
in rewriting the future of community health. One student, one partnership,
(01:24):
one bold idea at a time. Doctor Dingjian, and nationally
recognized architect of workforce innovation, has devoted her career to
bridging the gaps that separate vulnerable populations from the promise
of health and opportunity. As Associate vice president of Population
Health and executive director of the Lewis San Antonio Healthy
(01:46):
Communities Institute, she transforms systemic challenges into pathways for access,
championing programs that connect students to meaningful careers and communities
to better health. Alongside her, Sirah Ramchica brings relentless dedication
and a rare gift for collaboration, guiding cross sector initiatives,
(02:09):
nurturing tomorrow's healthcare leaders, and building bridges where none existed before. Together,
their leadership is not just a blueprint for workforce transformation,
but a living testament to the power of purpose, partnership,
and hope. In their hands, the future of public health
is not only brighter, it is attainable for all. Thank
(02:30):
you so much for being with us today, Eileen and Sirah.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Thank you for having both of us. Yeah, thank you
for having us.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Lovely, Okay, Syrah. So we're going to start with you
looking back, what inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare,
particularly through a non clinical pathway.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
So, funnily enough, I was never someone who wanted to
be in the non clinical space. I thought I was
going to be a nurse as I was growing up,
and I quickly realized that nursing is not for me.
And it was through some of the courses I took
in undergrad where I got perspective on the social determinants
of health and things that contribute to an individual's health
(03:11):
that really made me want to pursue public health. And
that was a way where I could still handle both
meeting patients where they're at, but also that preventative side
of things. I saw a lack of education out in
the community that I'm from, and I really wanted to
be a part of bridging some of that gap between education,
public health, and healthcare. So that's kind of how my
(03:33):
journey started. And I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well, thank you so much, and Nileen, you are a
repeat guest. You know, I just love talking to you
and following your progress as you lead the Lewis San
Antonio Healthy Communities Institute. So as we know Syrah joined
San Antonio Regional Hospital during the height of the pandemic.
How did the unique challenges of that period influence your
(03:56):
approach to onboarding and supporting new talent.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah. Absolutely. I think what I saw what Sarah did
was she was able to navigate graciously through the pandemic
and she shared a lot of stories with me about
those challenges from being in person and being online and
virtual for her internship, and so it was really important
post pandemic that folks that are missing out on those
experiences gained the skills and the knowledge of re assimilating
(04:24):
into society because it was post awkward right when folks
were getting back into the workplace, not sure how to
work with colleagues again because we've been virtual. So the
goal really was and I saw this with Sarah was
providing these in service trainings that helped prepare them to
interact and face with our community members. And she developed
(04:46):
this beautiful internship manual, which I thought was great to
continue to improve the process and learn throughout the journey
of her being the trailblazers and the veteran of our
current organization and offering additional insights to our new generation
of interns that are coming into the field.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Absolutely no, And I love that fact that Cyrus started
as an intern at the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities
Institute and today is now part of your you know,
full time team as the Population and Health director capacity. Sirah,
Can you describe your experience as a non clinical intern,
(05:23):
What were your expectations and how did the program shape
you your early understanding of healthcare outside of the clinical aspect.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Yeah, so this internship was really my first exposure to
public health, specifically within a health healthcare institute. My internship
was completely remote because we were during the pandemic. It
was twenty twenty, and my role was really focused on
addressing mental health and supporting the mental health of not
only our community members but staff for educators out in
(05:55):
our schools that we're still teaching, And so my expectations
were just gaining as much as I could. Especially in
a virtual capacity, you're kind of limited with who you
can interact with and how those interactions happen. But through
that I kind of pushed through and I was given
so many opportunities to sit into various meeting things, meet
with different community stakeholders and really address the needs of
(06:17):
our community in a completely different way than I had imagined.
Especially going through education. Many of us know what you
go to school for is not necessarily how it translates
when you're out working. So it was really interesting to
see theory versus practice and getting to be a part
of that was the highlight of my internship, and a
(06:38):
lot of what I took under the leadership I was
under is what I hope to provide for future interns
at San Antonio Regional Hospital as well. And yeah, it's
just my expectations were just taking advantage of every opportunity
that I had because we were in the midst of
a pandemic and we didn't know what was going to happen.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Absolutely, Sigar.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
So you mentioned part of your initial tasks were to
assist with the community and the staff at San Antonio
Regional Hospital address of course, I'm sure prevalent and understandable
mental health issues and challenges. What are some of the
ways you were able to serve that community.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Yeah, so as an intern, I was actually able to
get certified to be a mental health first aid trainer,
and so the way mental health first aid is framed
as very much like CPR for mental health, and it
was addressing things like suicide and isolation and how to
navigate conversations around those who might be feeling things like
depression and anxiety. And so, as an intern, I was
(07:40):
being offered the opportunity to get trained to teach this,
and so I had the opportunity to train not only
leadership at the hospital, but also other interns, volunteers, some
of our health coaches, and beyond that, we were also
able to provide the training in both English and Spanish
to our community members in a virtual format. That it
(08:00):
was meeting the needs of the community during that time.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
And from there that program.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Kind of grew and we were able to do more
mental health related topics out in the community. We've partnered
with various organizations to provide that as we've seen mental
health becoming prevalent and post internship, it's only just grown.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
And I love that I get to do that.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Wow, that is a real one, so exciting, Eileen. How
does the Louis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute embody the
hospital's commitment to improving community health and what role do
non clinical team members like Syrah play in that mission?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, I think the most unique thing about what we
do at the Louis San Antonio Healthy Community Institute is
that we provide health education in the classroom and we
also provide spaces for our high school students to shadow
at the hospital. And it's something that is critical to
addressing the workforce shortage, and Siah being the lead in
our workforce development for noncl internships and also being the
(09:01):
product of our health education in the classrooms. Her experience,
her varied experiences across from working with the youth and
now working across our college age students and beyond, has
demonstrated that we have a significant gap that we're trying
to fill into the field, especially in public health, and
there are, like she mentioned, mental health is one of
(09:22):
those areas that our school districts locally are facing and
we're hearing all the time the gravity that the pressures
that they're getting in schools and in the bathrooms. There's
a lot of different, you know, things that they're exploring
and how do they navigate all these different issues that
come with being an adolescent. And we combat that by
(09:43):
being there with the mental health fairs and providing the
eight Dimensions of Wellness, which that was her project. That's
the different dimensions of wellness was something that she brought
onto our lewis Hana and to Healthy Community Institute programming
and now is passed on to other in that are
currently with us sharing these different layers of social wellness,
(10:05):
financial wellness, occupational wellness. And she can definitely describe all
that with you. And it's really important because they don't
they tell us, we don't get this in the classroom.
We don't know, we don't know the next steps about
getting into college and what the financial burden is going
to look like. And if they're thinking like that in
an early stage, how are we going to expect them
to go into the workforce and pay for school and
(10:28):
then find the job. So I think we've done a
really great job as a hospital integrating the workforce assets
that needs to be integrated as essential for students to
understand and learn and apply as they carry on into
their journey, their educational and career journeys.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
That's absolutely true. You know, when you think about those
stigmas that have been developed before they've even interfaced with
that opportunity to go, you know, pursue a degree. How
do you overcome that? I can only imagine? So Syrah
tell us about these eight dimensions of wellness that you
established and have created this phenomenal program for.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, And I can't take full credit for that, but
as an intern, I was tasked with this opportunity to
provide mental health well being workshop for high school students
and it came across the eight dimensions of wellness and
there's these eight components that make up our wellness that
include some of what Ali mentioned, financial wellness, intellectual, environmental wellness.
(11:28):
Especially during a time like the pandemic. When my internship was,
most of our students were at home distance learning, and
so the environment they were in was not only their home,
which could be their safe space, it was also their classroom,
the library where they were studying, So that the environment
you're in can affect your ability and how you're mentally
taking on some of the roles as a student. And
(11:50):
so was able to put together a workshop for high
school students and from there, like Aileen said, it's kind
of blossomed and it's been really great to see our
current in terns take this framework that I helped to
develop for San Antonio to share it out to this
next generation of students where learning students are learning differently
than they were five years ago. They don't want to
(12:13):
be lectured at. They want to learn in a way
that's engaging, and we've learned how to gamify this program,
and so students are partaking in discussions and different activities
where they're not only discussing the eight dimensions of illness,
but they're actively learning about them in a way that
is not like you're just speaking to someone. So it's
(12:33):
been really great to see something that I started off
working on almost five years ago take off into something
that is just such a phenomenal program. And I'm really
proud of the team for continuing that work because it's
much needed and we hear we hear from the students
that they're really enjoying it.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
That is beaderful.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
What a great innovative way to really make a positive
impact in the lives of the next generation of hopefully
and potentially healthcare work in addition to other critical areas
in the workforce.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
That we need.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Eileen, non clinical rules are often overlooked in healthcare. How
do you emphasize their importance in both the hospital and
the broader community And what have you seen from students
saying about their feedback regarding the eight Dimensions of Wellness.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yeah, I think in general, what we've offered, we've expanded
our non clinical internships, so folks can actually enter in
our marketing department and in our ORTHO or our community
health improvement program, and that provides them a different perspective
of what goes on beyond. You know, as a public
health person, we're out in the community masters and health administration.
(13:43):
They want a little bit more insights to what the
operations look like at a hospital, and so we want
to provide them with as much exposure as we can
offer as a hospital entity. But at the same time,
we also listen to see, Okay, they clearly have no
clear path. Yeah, I think the biggest worry they have
is that will I have a job when I finish
(14:05):
my program? And tying it back to the question about
the eight dimensions, you know, that is something that they
are learning as they are developing and improving the curriculum,
and I've seen how they get excited knowing that emotional
wellness is one of those areas that they they realized, oh,
you know, that actually helps me engage better with the
students that I work with, or engage better in the
(14:26):
workplace with folks if I can tie some emotion to
the areas that they're interested in. So I thought that
was really interesting just to hear the feedback from students
that have gone through our program. We keep an alumni
network with the HCI Lewis Antitude and Healthy Communities Institute
that Sara also has created and kept track of, because
(14:49):
we want to be able to share back opportunities with
them as they come become available, and we're excited that
a lot of them they have come, you know, come
back to our program as volunteers years, they've gone out
in our health screenings and got additional exposures, and I
always encourage them if you don't have a job currently
at this moment, volunteering and having that experience under your
(15:10):
belt is so critical. We help aid and guide them
in that process because we know sometimes other hospitals don't
have that kind of capacity. And even though I know
we are also short on bandwidth, we try to find
the opportunities to meet the students where they're at, and
we know it's difficult already as it is in the workforce.
So I think we've done a pretty good job and
(15:31):
enhancing their experience as a hospital with the trainings we
provide and the leadership that Sarah has led as the.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Veteran of our program, that is remarkable.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
I love that Sirah is basically the poster child for
the non clinical internship side of it. But to clarify,
the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute also accepts and
trains clinical interns as well. Can you please just give
us a brief overview of these phenomenal opportunities that clinical
interns have opportunity to experience through the Lewis San Antonio
(16:02):
Healthy Communities Institute at San Antonio Regional Hospital.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Yeah, absolutely so, And I want to start back to
we do provide STEM programming for fourth graders or fifth
graders in our schools elementary school space and that gets
them excited into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programming
and getting that early exposure is so key. And throughout
that journey, we have started a high school clinical shadowing
(16:29):
program and that gives them the exposure in different departments
eighteen different departments at San Antonio Regional Hospital where they
can learn directly from our professional staff, our clinical staff
on site about their journey. It could be from a
a medical assistant or a PA, a physician assistant or
a physical therapist. It doesn't it. Sometimes students come into
(16:52):
our program thinking they know what they want to do.
A lot of them have said, I want to be
an optalmologist or a pediatrician because that's all they've probably
known when they growing up in learning about healthcare. But
at the same time we provide them with the professional
development opportunities as well. A lot of the students don't
understand what health insurance is and what the different health
(17:12):
insurance you know, provides for them and what it what
it would mean for them later on in life, and
so we try to integrate a lot of the different
information that is coming probably from their parents and their
families and ensuring that they are equipped with more knowledge
and more exposure in the clinical setting. So I think
this is definitely one of those areas where we always
(17:33):
try to reconvene them and recognize them for their accomplished work.
Because we bring students from all over the region locally
from Fontana Rancho Chino in making sure that they have
opportunities that maybe their schools don't provide for them. And
so our team has done a phenomenal job onboarding close
to sixty students this past summer, in ensuring that they
(17:55):
have these new pathways to consider as they think about
maybe a two year college or a four year college
as they get into that world.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
That is phenomenal. Sirah, how did the internship program facilitate
your integration into the healthcare field, particularly as someone without
a clinical background.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
So, I think this internship when I was part of
the internship program, really helped me in the sense of
the work that we do as more public health focused
or more community facing. So I had a background in that,
and it was really just tying in my passion for
helping others and addressing health.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
And equities into what we do at work.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
To me, this internship didn't feel like an internship, and
my job certainly doesn't feel like a job because I
feel like I'm doing my part to support my community
and there's just so much growth that happens here at
San Antonio where I felt like if I had questions,
I could go to someone and ask, you know, as
someone without a clinical background, what information should I be
sharing to our community when it comes to cardiovascular disease
(18:58):
or things like early heart attack care? And things like that.
So I think the hospital does a really phenomenal job
at making sure that folks who are on the non
clinical side are still very much made aware of what's
going on in the community. What are we seeing come
through our ed and how can we provide additional support
to doing those opportunities for students to help address some
(19:26):
of those those chronic conditions.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
And that's really what it's about, is addressing those chronic
conditions and of course highlighting the important value of preventative
medicine and meeting the community where they are. Eileen, what
strategies do you use to build agreements with educational institutions
and how do you ensure alignment between school curricula and
the hospital's non clinical workforce needs.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Yeah, it starts off with just a general conversation. Oftentimes
we might meet someone in the field or they'll reach
out to us saying, you know, do you have space
for students to be trained at your hospital? And it
really just starts with listening and seeing what the needs are,
what they're looking for and if it's a fit. We
have additional conversations about how we can support those students
(20:10):
that are looking for areas that they may be interested in.
Sometimes we don't have the specific service line that they're
looking for. It's if it's not going to support them
in their educational journey. But in terms of establishing those agreements,
it really takes us working in partnership with our internal department,
especially the regulatory pieces, and making sure this is feasible
(20:32):
and that we have staff that have the capacity to
also support and supervise students that will be their preceptors
and in providing the mentorship for the students. And so
we want to be very mindful of at a hospital setting,
right everything is urgent and you know, there's a lot
of emerging issues that may come about, and so we
do want to make sure there's flexibility around when when
(20:55):
we have students that are onboard it. So we work
with our volunteer services and making sure they're they're getting
their TVs in and you know, all the compliant you know,
documentations that is required to be at a hospital setting.
They understand HIPPA and OSHA and all those things that
are infection control and and for the most part, the
(21:16):
academic institutions that reach out to us understand that there
are parameters we have to you know, lean on and
ensuring that we have the right capacity to support these students,
and if not, we do encourage them to consider applying
to be a volunteer, because sometimes it is limited in
finding the right number of students that we can onboard.
(21:36):
But for our process, specifically for non clinical internships, I
think we've done a pretty good job doing personal outreach
to the institutions that are already engaged with us and
have these agreements in place. So I would say that
for the what we've been able to establish has been
fairly successful. Because we've had students that were interns are
now onboarded as full staff. I would say ninety percent
(21:58):
of them we're former and continue to pass on the
wisdom that they've shared and experienced with our non clinical.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Internship wonderful Sirah. While transitioning from intern to full time staff,
what were the key challenges you faced and how did
the hospital support systems help you overcome them?
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Yeah, So when I transitioned, I actually was. I started
off part time, which was perfect because I was still
in the process of finishing my master's degree, so my
work schedule was very accommodating to finishing my program while
also meeting the needs of my role and since then,
I think for me, the biggest challenge was trying to
figure out what to do with all my free time
(22:41):
once I finished my program, because I just wanted to
continue to give and I also needed to learn that
work life balance, and so my current role has really
helped me learn. You know, it's okay to give it,
you're all, but it's.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Okay to take a break.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
And my workplace supports that, which is the biggest thing
I can ask for. And transitioning was very easy because
I was doing the work as an intern, so it
didn't feel like I was doing anything new.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
That is remarkable. Okay, we are coming up on a break, everybody.
Evette Walker with ABC News and Talks Southern California Business
Report Here with doctor Eileen Dingjune, a visionary architect of
community health, and Sirah once a non clinical intern, now
a catalyst for progress forge alliances that bridge education and access. Together,
(23:29):
they are redefining what is possible in regional healthcare, proving
the power of innovation and collaboration. When we return.
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Speaker 2 (26:50):
Welcome back everyone, Evatt Walker with ABC News and Talks
Southern California Business Report. Here today with doctor Eileen Dingchen,
a visionary architect of community health, and Ramchita Wants a
non clinical intern now a catalyst for progress, forge alliances
that bridge education and access. Together they are redefining what
(27:10):
is possible in regional healthcare, proving the power of innovation
and collaboration. Thank you both for.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Being with us today. Thank Youririan.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
So prior to the break, you gave us an overview
of what the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute is about,
providing and allowing students to experience clinical and non clinical
healthcare career pathways. And before the break, Eileen, you mentioned
(27:42):
volunteer opportunity, so we're going to hit on that. Can
you share how volunteer services and non clinical internship programs
complement clinical programs to create a holistic talent pipeline.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Yeah, absolutely, I think it's really essential. If we were
to bring on non clinical interns into the hospital space
that we streamline any of the processes so it's not
as difficult and people don't feel like they have to
go through multiple avenues to just come to a hospital
setting to get experience. And so we definitely lean on
our Volunteer Services program who bring on volunteers at the hospital,
(28:18):
but they also provide everyone that's at the hospital should
be getting the same amount of information as staff. You know,
generally we are exposed to patients that have sensitive information
or people across the hallway that we might know, and
how do we react if it's our neighbor perhaps that's
at the ED. So we want to be cohesive as
(28:40):
cohesive as possible when we develop our pipeline in non
clinical workforce development programming, and a lot of that really
is because we are grateful that there's a process already
in place that's implementing that. And what comes with that
is our part is also partnering with our compliance officer
and making sure that all of the agreements in place
(29:00):
and that we have all our nuts and bolts that
are well aligned with the mission that we have. Why
we have a non clinical internship program, oftentimes there's always
like an off ramp or an on ramp that people
go into clinical setting, and then there's the off ramp,
like like Cyra said, I want to be a nurse
or I want to be in clinical setting, but bedside
(29:21):
is not where I want to be. But I still
want to be in healthcare, and they don't know what
that looks like. And so I'm really grateful we have
a space here at San Antonio where we are physically
located in an up and coming center of aging, where
we have our administration house, and they get exposure to
our finance, a department, a marketing department, a foundation, and
(29:42):
they didn't know some of these things existed because we're
kind of like the behind the scenes no one really
talks about because we're not frontline workers the way our
clinical staff are. And so I love that they get
to meet other folks across the hallway and learn a
little bit about who they are, why they got into
to the field. Sometimes people just land into the positions
(30:02):
that they're at and learn that I actually really like
doing this, like the work that I've been doing with
data and curating information. Sarah is one of those that
I was like, we're going to get into data and
she's like, I would love to explore it a little
bit more. And now she's like one of the pros
that I lean on. So I think it really the
more exposure we provide in the non clinical setting, it
(30:23):
provides that additional foundation and pillars that helps our hospital
with its strengths and achieving the strategies that we want
to accomplish as a hospital as a whole.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Well, I love that because it's a multifaceted approach that
allows incoming, you know, potential future non clinical employees and
workforce people to have their horizons broadened and get a
very good view of what opportunities actually exists behind the scenes.
As you mentioned, they're not frontline workers, but just as
(30:56):
critical to keep the whole, you know, working system going. Sirah,
I know, compliance is a huge part of what you do.
How do you ensure your work as a population health
coordinator remains in compliance with evolving school policies and educational standards.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Yeah, So, like Aileen mentioned before the break, it's all
about having those conversations. So we typically start off with
talking to our university partners seeing what their requirements are
for students who need an internship and then we kind
of go back and forth and determine what San Antonio's
policies are. We work with our compliance officer to ensure
that all of our hospital policies are being met. Like
(31:36):
Aileen mentioned, all of our students are onboard in the
same way staff are, so they go through the same orientation,
they sign all of the same documentation to make sure
that they're in compliance. And we haven't had issues where
students were not wanting to sign off on certain documentations
because I think they understand as a healthcare institute, there
are certain parameters, especially regarding HIPPAA and privacy that do
(31:59):
need to be take in very seriously.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Of course, yes, we all know HIPPA is so important
and one of the cornerstones and almost you know, a
tablet bible of not ever you know, breaking any of
the HIPPA guidelines and policies, Eileen. San Antonio Regional Hospital
is recognized for pioneering professional development initiatives such as your
(32:25):
non clinical and clinical internship programs through the Lewis San
Antonio Healthy Communities Institute. What makes your approach to workforce
development unique among premier hospitals.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Oh gosh, I think we've done. We do a lot
of things, and I think it's how we integrate and
support the different training opportunities we offer. Because right now
we have our medical residency program, we have nursing students,
we have the volunteer we have non clinical interns, and
we have community health workers and the consideration of bringing
on community health worker interns that are that have lived experiences,
(32:59):
and I would say we're really more than just providing
task and areas that they can improve skills on. We
teach a lot of our students that are coming on
board the mission, you know, they have to understand why
there's health inequities in our community. We introduce them to
our community Health Needs Assessment because that is also the
(33:19):
guiding document that tells us how are we doing as
a community, why are there so many different disparities, and
if they're coming in with cardiovascular health issues, what can
we do to co create an opportunity to do better
health screenings in you know, different zip codes in our area.
So I think what we do is really intentional work.
(33:40):
And I love that we integrate our students that come
from different aspects of our training at the hospital in
real life work. So there are pans on and they
are boots on the ground and helping us understand and
collect data, surveys information. They're even teaching in the classroom,
and it's something that I think we're building a gap
(34:00):
that most folks that don't don't ordinarily do, or most
hospitals don't do. The most unique thing about HCI is
that we have that educational arm and aspect into this school.
So it's not just students. We're also engaging with parents,
So we provide parent engagement training or workshops to help
them understand better how to support their families with generational
(34:23):
trauma that they may have experienced, and how they navigate
through the challenges. So there's more than just really helping
the students be trained. But we provide those early exposures
or other exposures with the students we work with with parents,
you know, that's a different audience too, and and immigrant
families that are in the in the community and understanding
(34:43):
how do we address those that are not speaking the
same language as us, but still provide the education that
they should have as it relates for our health.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
Sorry, I wanted to add to that as well. I
think a unique thing that we do is meeting our
community where they're at, whether that's our college students, whether
it's our clinical shadowing, high school students, or even community members.
We're taking their input into consideration. We have work for
them to do, but what are they hoping to get
out of our internship opportunities and how can we provide
(35:14):
that to them so that this experience is meaningful and
impactful to them in the long run.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Right, And what I was going to say is I
love that you use that Community Help Needs Assessment data,
which is basically a living and evolving document that reflects
the true patterns of chronic illnesses that our communities are experiencing.
So the fact that you integrate that into an upstream
approach to create those preventative opportunities, be it screening, education,
(35:43):
and workshops, that is absolutely remarkable and why I just
admire your work and will always support it. Obviously, Sira.
At a previous conversation, you mentioned the alumni network. Can
you please share what the alumni network plays supporting both
current interns and recent graduates as they enter the healthcare workforce.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:06):
So, I think a unique part of our programming and
through the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute is our
HCI alumni network, and it's really an opportunity for our
students to continue to stay engage with us, whether they
are our college aged non clinical interns or clinical shadowing students.
Anytime we have opportunities at San Antonio on our team
(36:28):
or even with our community partners, we always share that
out first with our alumni network, and it's one of.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
The first.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Ways that our students get to engage and network and
stay within our network. We've seen so many success stories.
As Aileen mentioned, almost ninety percent of our own team
our former interns, and that's such a highlight for me
as someone who's got into work on developing and revamping
our program. To see students that i've helped train now
(36:56):
on my team as colleagues at a different level is
a amazing and it's all because we've kept in contact
with them, where it just as invested in our students
once they leave our programs as they are in when
they're in our programs. So the alumni network is something
I'm very proud to say that San Antonio does have.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
That is remarkable. What a tremendous asset and resource not
only for the hospital but those that have touched base
and been in communication with those hospital and expressed interests
either in clinical or non clinical workforce opportunities. Eileen, what
feedback do you receive from interns, both clinical and non
(37:35):
clinical that helps you refine and enhance your programs?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Yeah. I think the bottom line that I always get
from our interns is what do you want to do?
What do you want to gain out of this experience?
And we tailor every cohort, you know, in terms of
as small as like we want polos because we want
to feel more professional when to go out in our field.
And I said, that's actually a really great feedback because
we gave currently like T shirts and the appearance really
(38:01):
matters too, and the little might be little might be big.
I'm not sure how people view it, but I don't
take anything very lightly in terms of their feedback. I
take it to heart because sometimes we hear it from
one core to the next and we're thinking, we need
to really do something about engaging. And so another part
of that that I've heard from our interns like we
want to be more engaged with other departments or how
(38:23):
and sometimes they have different schedules and we try to
figure out how do we bring them all in the
same room at the same time time and they're busy,
right they're either in the field or we're crossing paths
and we're passing by each other, we're up and down,
and so it is something that I always take to
heart in terms of how do we make this experience
really meaningful for them, because at the end of the day,
we want them to also build camaraderie and have new colleagues,
(38:47):
and these are new networks. And I always emphasize this,
your networking amongst your own colleagues. Who's going to go
and rise, you know, to do a lot of great
things in the community, and you want to get to
know who they were. You don't want to just like, oh,
I remember your name ten years ago when I was
interning at San Antonio, but we just never got to talk,
you know. And I think just that level of engagement,
(39:09):
it starts with that, and so many great things can
come out of it. And I think we've done a
really good job from what we've seen in the past
where folks really just came in again it's post pandemic.
What I saw was people would walk in do the work,
and they did a great job, but they would leave,
and so we were like, Okay, hold on, hold on,
hold on, we need to reconvene and reconsider how we
can engage to students better in the world that we're in.
(39:33):
And I think our space really matters too, So I
definitely take feedback to heart in terms of how they
feel and checking in individually with all the interns and
letting them know I'm also here if you ever need
some guidance and mentorship, because having them know there is
someone that's cheering them on. They I always hear this too.
They feel like they're just a small part of our program.
(39:56):
They don't really matter as much as the big and
I said, no, you are. You're in front of, front
and center of the work that we do. They are
the drivers, especially in our health education in the schools,
and without them we can't do what we do.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
I love that to integrate that importance of developing that communication,
that relationship as they are interns, because as you mentioned,
you don't know as the years go on, as the
decades move forward, where your fellow interns are going to land,
So you know, making those forming those connections, keeping them
alive and establishing and re establishing through this network that
(40:33):
you have developed is such an important and wonderful asset. Sirah,
How does your current role enable you to bridge the
gap between education and healthcare employment for future non clinical professionals.
Speaker 4 (40:48):
I think a big part of it is my role
with overseeing the non clinical internship program. I get firsthand
experience working with all of our student interns, and it's
just always amazing because they ask me my career journey
and I feel like I don't have much experience, but
at the end of the day, when I'm talking to them,
it makes me remind myself how much work I've actually
(41:10):
done and how much of the work I've done at
San Antonio helps continue growing our student interns and their work,
and so bridging that gap includes hearing from our interns.
Like Aileen said, we like to listen and see what
feedback they're giving us from things as smalle as switching
our shirts from T shirts to a polo shirt to
more engagement. They want to be involved in some of
(41:30):
our meetings, whether it's just sitting in and observing, learning
how collaboration truly happens at a healthcare organization and with
the nature of the work we do out in the community.
So it's a lot of just involving them. We don't
see our interns as beneath us. They are walking the
lines right next to us. And I think I can
(41:51):
speak for our team when we share that our interns
bring such valuable insight. They're learning things that are new
that we may not.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Have access to.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
And so not only are we learning from them, but
they get the opportunity to learn from some of us
experienced professionals as well. And it's not just teaching them
how to go out and educate, it's teaching them just
general workplace norms and how to be integrated into the
workplace that you're in.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
I love that, and I love that you teach them
that they are just as important as everybody else. And
I love that you liken them to not being amba,
but being far more important and critical to the larger landscape. Eileen,
how does your mission driven philosophy shape the culture of
workforce development and retention at San Antonio Regional Hospital.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Yeah, that's a big one for me because I want
to always know what's to purpose, what will keep you here,
will what excites you about the work that you do,
And when I understand better what their mission is this
is more than just a job. They're on a mission
to really help improve the community's health, or they're here
to help provide additional education on nutrition, whatever it might be.
(43:03):
I want to hone in on those interests because if
that opportunity doesn't exist in our community, then where is
it and why doesn't it exist? So I start questioning
how we're going to create these pipelines for students if
there's no opportunity available for them. But that's but we're
always saying we want to keep them here in our
region and serve our region. But if it's not here,
(43:23):
we got to figure out how to create that space
for them. So for me, I think it's really important
to continue to listen students are continually evolving and changing
and learning their language in terms of what they say
these days, and even just getting a good understanding of
how they communicate with each other and understanding what's the
(43:47):
most valuable important thing for them helps me understand how
we can formulate and create these new opportunities together because
and I think we really do a good job of
listening to the community and implementing and it's not just
like ten year five year plan. We actually take action
right away, and so that for me says a lot
about our seriousness of making sure we are retaining students
(44:11):
to come back and work with us, and if there's
no space here, are we training them to be in
a space where we will collaborate and be collaborators of
each other.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
I love that because when you do step back and
you look at it, the work that you're conducting today
is going to have implications five, ten, fifteen, twenty five,
fifty years down the line, and those are the healthcare
workers that are going to be taking care of us
when we need it most. Right, Sirah, reflecting on your journey,
what advice would you offer to students considering non clinical
(44:42):
careers in healthcare?
Speaker 4 (44:44):
I would say, be open to any opportunity that comes
your way. I never knew about public health until I
was in college, and I'm so grateful to be a
part of an organization that provides these opportunities as early
as fourth grade to learn of about healthcare and public
health and all that we do. So my advice to
(45:05):
the future generation of the public health and healthcare workforce
is to be open to the opportunities that are provided.
Put yourself out there The worst thing someone can say
is no, and that's okay. You can take that and
turn it into a positive and make it a learning experience.
And to add to that would be network and keep
in contact with your network. You never know where you're
(45:25):
going to end up, and you never know if you're
going to be in the same place as someone you
worked with when you were an intern or when you
were in school. So take advantage of the opportunities that
are provided. There are people out there that want those
opportunities and they're not given them. So if you're provided
an opportunity, I would recommend taking advantage of that.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
I love that and such a great way to really
view your future career and guide students as they march
forward in their journey in healthcare or other career avenues
that they may select. Eileen, As the healthcare landscape evolves,
how do you envision the future of non clinical workforce
(46:04):
development and what legacy do you hope to leave through
the Lewis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute.
Speaker 3 (46:11):
Yeah, I hope students will continue to expand the horizon
and expand the lens that they provide. They come in
here with an educational background, getting their degree, and then
I want them to leave with more insights of what
the healthcare space looks like. Like I mentioned, it could
be marketing, it could be in a foundation, could be
in finance. However, for the future, I really think it's
(46:34):
important for them to be flexible. It's important to one day,
we don't know, we might become a research institution at
some point, and make sure they have the opportunities and
to not decline any in anything that is relevant to
the work that they're interested in. Because if you think
about marketing, right, if you're a marketing major, you didn't
(46:55):
think you could come into a healthcare space. You might
be a business major. Our CEO has an MBA, you know,
And so I think that says a lot about how
we take the educational background that we bring to the
table and be able to learn the landscape of a
healthcare space. So being at a hospital setting, you could
(47:16):
be an academic medical center, you can be at another university.
But there are components and the essential fundamentals and skills
that are transferable that you can apply. And I think
the most important thing for the future is to tell students,
you know, ask students just to place, just pay close
attention to the environment that's around you, because you never
know where you're going to take that skill next, and
(47:37):
the job market could be great, the job market could
not be great. But you have these essential skills that
you can offer to any organization, especially a non clinical workforce.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
Absolutely, you mentioned the CEO and President, John Chapman, who
has an MBA but also a microbiologist, which is right
so unexpected. But Syrah, what are your hopes for the
ongoing impact of the alumni network and non clinical career
programs in shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
I hope that the students that we work with just
take advantage of the opportunities and that they get to
be the next work the next generation of this workforce. Ultimately,
that's our goal, right We want to make sure that
folks that are coming through our programs stay within our region.
We have a lot to offer and it's always great
to build up.
Speaker 3 (48:25):
The next generation.
Speaker 4 (48:26):
And I'm very proud of the fact that I get
to work with some of these students who acknowledge all
of the work that we're doing and say they want
to stay in the region, which is partwarming to me
as someone who's been in San Mardino County pretty much
my entire life. My goal is just to make sure
that our students are supported whether or not they stay
at San Antonio. That's why I'm emphasizing networking. It's such
(48:50):
a big thing and we just.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
Need to keep our students here.
Speaker 2 (48:55):
I love that sentiment, siraum Eileen. Finally, what does it
mean to you personally and professionally to see former interns
like Sirah thrive and contribute to the hospital's mission and
the community at large.
Speaker 3 (49:09):
Yeah, I mean, secretly, I'm constantly crying because I'm so
proud because I just the joy of watching such growth
and seeing where the students go after their internship, and
especially Sarah being the trailblazer of the work that we've done.
I'm very proud to see them continue to go through
(49:30):
different challenges because the workforce and healthcare, there's always constant challenges,
you know, that are either environmental or could be you know,
areas that we are still developing and trying to understand
as we develop programs, and so I think the growth
in general, I'm so proud to see Syrah flourish from
post pandemic and now leading in our community. She leads
(49:54):
our collaborative addressing the un house population for older adults
and just from the evolution of health education to now
helping us coordinate population health initiatives and leading collaboratives across
the community and helping facilitate it shows that growth. And
my goal is really to see other interns take what
they know. They come in here kind of just still
(50:16):
figuring things out, but starting to own it, right. I
want them to own and champion in our community. And
that's what I kind of see all of our interests, like,
you're all going to be champions in our community because
we need you and it's urgent. And I hope that
they do stick around and stay locally because there's a
lot of work to be had and a lot of
love to give. And that's my message for our interns
(50:38):
is that I really hope that they continue to on
the journey that they're passionate about and to reach back
to us at HCI to learn how to get in
contact with different connections that will help them with their
career journey.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
Well, Eileen, Sirah, I just absolutely love the message that
you shared with us today. I love the work that
you're providing, you know, just the integral not only workforce
development aspect to serve our communities, but meeting our community
where they are for population health initiatives. Your work is astounding.
(51:17):
I love following it. I can't wait to have you
back on for an update to tell us what is
happening at the Louis San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute and
at San Antonio Regional Hospital. Thank you for taking the
time to share your incredible work.
Speaker 3 (51:33):
Yeah, thank you all.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
Right for everybody listening. Don't forget to find us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn,
and Instagram. Check us out on SCBR talk dot com.
Don't miss my conversation with Caesar Navarete Wants. A child
of poverty and abuse, Caesar now leads as President and
CEO of Children's Fund, turning his own pain into hope
(51:55):
for the Inland empires most vulnerable. For over twenty years,
he's proven that resilience and compassion can ignite a movement
and real lasting change. Next week, in the Vanguard of
compassionate care and academic excellence, stand doctor Lisa Warren, a
visionary pediatrician and medical educational leader, and doctor Mary Lopez,
(52:16):
a pioneering nurse scientist dedicated to advancing health Equity with
Western University of Health Sciences. Together their unwavering commitment to
shapes the future of healthcare, inspiring the next generation with brilliance, empathy,
and tireless devotion to vulnerable populations. You do not want
to miss it.
Speaker 5 (52:35):
We will see you all next week.
Speaker 10 (53:00):
The different spaces were set tased from scrapal propert
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