Supporting career exploration and growth through Northwell Health’s Career Advisement Program

At Northwell Health, we provide our team members with opportunities to advance their careers through various development programs and professional resources. Northwell’s Career Advisement Program is a comprehensive three-month track where team members can experience structured learnings, mentorship between advisors and advisees, learn about different roles across professions from field experts and attend networking events.

We spoke with two recent participants. One of our advisors, Donna Manchisi, shared how the guidance and support of career advisors for this program helps team members discover their interests, understand and build their skills and identify how to find more opportunities at Northwell. One of our advisees, Michael Ramirez, shared the importance of the career advisement program and how Northwell supports team members’ career exploration, growth and development.

Advisor: Donna Manchisi – Director of Workforce Planning, Northwell Health Laboratories
As director of workforce planning at Northwell Health Laboratories, Donna oversees the design and development of workforce plans across the organization. She also builds and maintains partnerships with academic leaders of high schools and universities and collaborates with national health systems to develop future workforce initiatives.

Within the career advisement program, Donna took on the role of an advisor — supporting and guiding team members with career development and exploration. Donna connected them with other key team members in the organization to help them network, learn about mentorship opportunities, and provided resources to help the advisees research roles that will align with their goals. Additionally, she offered encouragement to help build their confidence as they took the next steps in their career path.

As an advisor within the program, Donna hoped to ignite a pathway for her colleague’s career journeys by sharing her experience and expertise of being part of the Northwell family for the past 39 years. “At Northwell, there are so many resources available to grow your career. Opportunities to network and make connections is what allows us to make a greater impact together.”

Advisee: Michael Ramirez – Associate Project Manager, Northwell Health Cancer Institute
As an associate project manager at Northwell Health’s Cancer Institute, Michael works on capital projects and cancer programs. This includes tracking a project’s progress, ensuring budget adherence and collaborating with various teams. As an advisee within Northwell’s Career Advisement Program, Michael joined hoping to get guidance on how to grow within Northwell and gain clarity on the next steps in his career. He wanted to build the confidence and skills necessary to take on new challenges and find opportunities that align with his goals. Michael shared how he feels these programs not only empower team members to achieve their goals but also enhance the organization by cultivating engaged, motivated and skilled professionals who are invested in Northwell’s mission.

When asked what impact the career advisement program had, Michael shared, “The program and my advisors inspired me to embrace growth and take bold steps in my career. It played a key role in helping me transition from a category management analyst in procurement to my new role as an associate project manager.” Michael was inspired to further invest in his professional development while participating in the program, and he is now pursuing his MBA.

If you are looking to take the next step in your Truly Ambitious career, become a Health Raiser at Northwell Health and join our team today.

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La’Dreamer Lark, Patient Access Service Representative and Community Captain

Imagine seeing yourself and your daughter on the jumbotron screen at Madison Square Garden? That is what happened for La’Dreamer Lark this fall when she was invited to Essential Workers Night presented by Northwell Health and named this year’s “Community Captain” in honor of the nonprofit she and her daughter founded. It would be a memorable moment to say the least and in La’Dreamer Lark’s own words, “it was life changing.”

La’Dreamer Lark is a Northwell Health patient access service representative at Lenox Hill Hospital’s emergency department, assisting in the process of admitting patients in need of care. “In my role, I get to meet a lot of people where I can offer comfort and support to our patients because caring for others is a big part of who I am.” La’Dreamer is passionate about being active in her community–always in search of ways to help others both on the job and in her personal life. It’s a characteristic that she has passed down to her daughter, Dreamer “Daisy” Jones Lark and together, they founded the La’Dreamer and Daisy Helping Hands Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization that gives back to others.

Since 2018, La’Dreamer and her daughter have helped more than 5,000 children through their back-to-school fundraising events that provided each child with a free backpack filled with supplies including: notebooks, pencils, crayons, scissors, and more to help them kick off a successful school year. When asked why they wanted to give back in this way, La’Dreamer said, “We both love to meet people and help out where we can, and we saw a need in the community.” At these events they do more than just pass out backpacks, they also raffle off prizes to help fund the cause, provide food, and offer fun activities for the families who attend.

La’Dreamer says she and her daughter didn’t accomplish this on their own. They receive a lot of support from friends, family, and Northwell. “Northwell is a place that values employee interests, even when they take place outside of work. The organization and my coworkers donated both money and supplies to contribute to the success of our back-to-school events.”

Support for personal and professional achievements is a tenet that is held firm by the leadership team at Northwell and the organization is committed to giving back to our local communities. With so many programs and initiatives across the organization, Northwell is a place that encourages employees to pursue their interests and passions every day and offers an environment that fosters growth for all team members.

Looking for an organization that supports your personal and professional endeavors? Discover a career well cared for at Northwell Health today.

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Think Hospitality. Think Healthcare. Getting students ready with our Hospitality in Healthcare Internship at Northwell Health

Healthcare may not be the first thing that comes to mind for hospitality majors; however, patient care extends well beyond just providing clinical care. At Northwell, it’s about a patient’s all-around wellbeing that is necessary for their recovery. Sven Gierlinger, Chief Experience Officer and Senior Vice President of the Office of Patient & Customer Experience (OPCE), joined Northwell Health in 2014 from the hospitality industry to transform and innovate the patient experience at Northwell. As part of this mission, he introduced the Hospitality in Healthcare Internship in 2017.

The Hospitality in Healthcare internship is an eight-week, paid program geared toward college juniors and seniors who are passionate about making a difference. It allows students to expand their knowledge of hospitality and apply it in a different way that has more of a meaningful impact. During the program, students partner with mentors who are patient experience leaders at Northwell and shadow hospital-based services such as: patient- and family-centered care, environmental services, food and nutrition, concierge, chaplaincy, marketing, IT, and security.

Upon the close of the program, each intern completes a project assignment, challenging them to focus on one specific patient-centered care opportunity at Northwell. They are tasked with creating a proposal for implementing performance improvement tactics to hospital leadership. These projects help the students think strategically within a large organization, while enhancing their communication, presentation, and project management skills.

“The Hospitality in Healthcare internship is proof that you don’t have to be clinical to make a difference and our interns experience that firsthand,” says Leah Petrosino, Associate Patient and Customer Experience Specialist. “This opportunity allows interns to explore different areas of healthcare, exposing them to various projects and services that enhance the patient experience. The impact this has on the intern, our patients, patients’ families, and our colleagues lasts far beyond the program because it truly proves that every role, every person, and every moment matters at Northwell.”

Interested in learning more about this internship? Click here for more details.

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How North Shore University Hospital is delivering culinary excellence with new In-Room Dining Program

When you think of a fine dining experience, we know hospitals aren’t typically the first location to pop in your head. But thanks to the new In-Room Dining Program at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH), they might soon be.

For the launch of the new program, NSUH’s culinary team worked hard to create a menu full of delicious and healthy options in collaboration with their registered dietitians. From fresh bakery bread with eggplant bacon in the morning to linguine al fresco at dinnertime, all the meals were crafted to maximize nutrition without sacrificing taste. Registered dietitians are also available to help patients design a meal plan to help them on their healing journey.

By providing patients with a choice between nutritional, natural and home-made meals, the new services are just one part of Northwell Health’s mission to change the way patients think about hospital food. We believe that food is medicine and as an important part of the healing process menu options must be customized for clinical needs while being lovingly prepared by talented chefs with local and natural ingredients.

“I am proud to be part of an organization that puts the patient first and gives innovative opportunities to its team members,” says Michael Kiley, director of dining services at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH). “The days of the stereotypical ‘hospital food’ are over! Our In-Room Dining Program is set up to provide the best dining experience for our patients by serving delicious wholesome cooked to order with restaurant style menu choices. And all are developed by our creative culinary team of chefs and cooks and, overseen by our caring clinical registered dietitians, ordered through our well trained diet technicians, and delivered by professional positive dining associates.”

And nutritional food doesn’t just help our patients heal, it changes the way they feel. “The In-Room Dining program is where patients forget that they are in a hospital and feel they are in a five star hotel,” says Vanessa Barone, diet technician at NSUH.

Helping to deliver that extra attention and care to the patients has only benefited the relationship between our nutrition team and the patients. “It feels good being a dining associate,” says Eloheim Miller. “It makes me feel happy to make the patients happy. They love this service!” It’s an exciting time to join Northwell’s culinary and nutritional teams as even more innovative practices are being implemented across the system.

“Enhancing the patient experience is at the forefront of what we do every day,” says Sean Butler, assistant director of dining services at NSUH. “Giving patients the choice of what to eat and when to eat it helps them gain a sense of control that is usually lost during a hospital stay. Our goal is to make mealtime their favorite part of their stay here!”

North Shore University Hospital is currently looking for dedicated team members to help redefine the culinary experience. Explore exciting opportunities for chefs, dietetic technicians, dietary production workers and more!

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2019 President’s Award Finalist- Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience

Each year, Northwell’s President’s Awards recognize team members who not only surpass our expectations and standards of excellence, but also those who drive innovative business outcomes.

The Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience award recognizes an individual who is Made for Northwell Health: made for caring and protecting our patients and communities – made for leading innovation and change that inspires our colleagues and turns tomorrow into a breathtaking opportunity. Meet this year’s finalists.

Salvatore Dimatteo
Supervisor, Rehabilitation Services, STARS, Huntington

A football injury that could have ended his collegiate football career instead inspired Sal Dimatteo to the profession of physical therapy, where he leads a practice filled with compassion for patients. As a physical therapist supervising rehabilitation at the STARS Huntington location, he overcame his disappointment at low Press Ganey patient scores the office was receiving by reaching out to colleagues and coming up with distinctive and fresh ways of encouraging team members and patients to provide feedback.

Sal’s approach led to a huge surge in responses and improved scores. Under his leadership, STARS Huntington was ranked in the 98th percentile nationally (a score of 98.5) for Likelihood to Recommend for 2018. This was the highest ranking for all STARS locations as well as the Northwell Outpatient Rehabilitation Network.

His hands-on style nurtures a team approach to provide patients with the best care. And Sal’s leadership brings out the best in his team — bringing them together as a cohesive unit and empowered to provide the best possible service. His upbeat, positive style and work ethic encourages the team member to perform at a high level and bring the best possible care to patients.

Kacey Farber, LMSW
Social Worker, Huntington Hospital

Kacey Farber went from a teaching career to one of social work and a transformative role as a leader in helping families cope with the loss of a baby. Dissatisfied with the resources available that would allow her to assist grieving families, she decided to create her own.

Kacey connected first with the Star Legacy Foundation, which works to increase awareness about neonatal loss and increase family support. She then established the Huntington Hospital

Bereavement and Support Group. Working with a network of families who had lost babies led to a plan to create a perinatal bereavement garden, a warm and comforting space to memorialize lost children. She coordinated fundraising to support the garden, which opened last fall.

As a dedicated problem solver, Kacey identified a need and fixed it through research, planning, networking and fundraising. She also helps manage the bundled orthopedic patients and has become an expert on providing transitional care. In addition, she was the first-ever mentor for Master level social work candidates in the Case Management department. Kacey is also the certified intern supervisor for the department’s three social work interns. She is an incredible mentor and has motivated others to become a certified social work intern supervisor.

Bulah Martin
Lead Phlebotomist, Northwell Health Labs

As lead phlebotomist, Bulah Martin has a knack of turning an unpopular but vital task into an experience that makes people smile. Having their blood drawn is rarely a happily anticipated event. With Bulah, her skills at minimizing the unpleasant aspects of the service, combined with her cheery personality, make for successful outcomes.

Bulah often works with special needs or very sick children where making the procedure go smoothly can be a challenge. She frequently has physicians asking for her by name. By decorating two rooms with playful decals of animals and nature, she minimizes the presence of medical equipment. Bulah has her equipment ready when the patient enters the room, gives small gifts to young children, which she pays for out of her own pocket, and eases the worries of parents who in turn, are able to calm their children. Her creative solutions ensures the necessary work of blood collection happens successfully.

Phlebotomists at Northwell Health Labs provide blood collection services for more than one million patients every year — in many cases after taking into consideration and resolving the fears and resistance of patients. Bulah teaches techniques for collecting blood samples from children and infants, and mentors phlebotomists all over the health system to show them “how it’s done,” leading patients with a positive sense of the quality performance that Northwell represents.

Adrian Mazur
Chaplain, Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Chaplain Adrian Mazur has chosen to work in the midst of medical crisis, supporting the smallest patients and their families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as they try to cope with life threatening illnesses. It is his empathy that others quickly notice as he helps fearful, weary and distressed parents who are trying to cope with some of the worst days of their lives.

Adrian, who came to the ministry from a career in finance and volunteer work with an orphanage in Ukraine, works with adolescents in pediatric hematology/oncology. There he helps to establish a connection and genuine trust as the young patients face their own mortality, changes in their appearance and an overall loss of health and stamina.

Often, Adrian plays a significant role in the lives of families that ultimately lose their child to illness. In one instance, he later drove through a snowstorm to be with one such couple at the birth of another child. It is through his presence, compassion, dedication, prayers and listening ear that he helps patients and parents redefine their hopes and maintain their dreams. Adrian’s presence brings a vitality to the hospital and all those he touches.

Kelly Ann Moed MSN, RN-BC, CSPHP
Development Instructor, Staten Island University Hospital

Kelly Ann Moed turned an idea she developed during graduate studies into a program to safeguard the well-being of hospital staff through the prevention of injuries. Taking care of patients starts with making sure our team members are well. Her Safe Patient Handling Program has led to a significant decline in the number of workforce injuries. Kelly Ann’s passion, caring and knowledge are the driving forces that have made this innovative program a success.

She has been the driving force in making sure hospital team members are properly trained and educated on the use of equipment to move and transfer patients.

Her program took a creative turn recently with Workforce Safety Olympics. It was a fun way for the team members to demonstrate their Safe Patient Handling expertise and the use of equipment to transfer and lift patients. These groups were presented with various scenarios where, within a specific time frame, together they needed to exhibit the proper choices in equipment, communication with each other and the patient, and appropriate transfer technique. The Staten Island University Hospital team members took home the gold trophy.

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More than an acronym: Northwell Health’s Culture of C.A.R.E Lived by Joseph Aigbojie Every Day

For Joseph Aigbojie, a practice admin manager, the Northwell Health Culture of C.A.R.E stands for more than connectedness, awareness, respect, and empathy for the patients and communities we serve. It began 8 years ago when he first joined Northwell Health and ever since, he’s been applying it to his day-to-day interactions with patients and co-workers each day.

A New Beginning at Northwell

Joseph started his journey with Northwell Health at Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) as an environmental services supervisor. Since that time, he’s been promoted twice: first to assistant director of Environmental Services at CCMC, and second to practice administrative manager for the division of Pediatrics Cardiology & CT Surgery, which followed his completion of a graduate program in Public and Health Care Administration.

“What I love most about being a Northwell employee is the feeling that the organization is willing to invest in me and further develop me.” One example is Joseph’s participation in Northwell’s High Potential Program, which is focused on career development. “I participated in a number of growth opportunity programs that have allowed me to broaden my horizons as a professional.”

The Culture of C.A.R.E in the Workplace

To Joseph, the Culture of C.A.R.E means, “displaying a genuine concern for the team members that you work with and patients you care for. It means going above and beyond for a patient or their family, or for a need that they might have, and responding to it. It means noticing when a coworker needs you to lift them up because you sense that they aren’t in the best of spirits.”

And Joseph has always made that effort to help patients feel that Culture of C.A.R.E. One example from his days in Environmental Services always stands out to him, “I was doing routine rounds on the unit and I met with a parent of a patient. When I asked her how her stay was, she stated that she felt like she was being treated differently.” Joseph discovered that the patient had previously received Mott’s Apple Juice but hadn’t during this stay. An item as simple as apple juice may seem small, but it made the difference for this child. After checking the patient’s dietary restrictions, Joseph worked with team members to deliver the apple juice to the child for the rest of their stay, along with additional snack selections to provide any comfort he could.

C.A.R.E for our Patients and Each Other

As much of Joseph lives the Culture of C.A.R.E for his patients, he sees it among his Northwell team as well. In August of 2014, when Joseph’s father passed away from Alzheimer’s, he only informed his director of his passing and no one else. Yet, on the day of his father’s funeral, he was at the door of the church greeting guests and in walked his coworkers from CCMC. “It was the first time that I was overwhelmed and brought to tears during my father’s passing. That day was when Northwell and CCMC became more than just a workplace to me. … I will never forget them being there for me during that time in my life.”

Learn more about our Culture of C.A.R.E

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What Makes us Human Makes us Made for This: How Northwell Health is helping battle burnout with the Schwartz Rounds Program

The discussion of burnout is a hot topic in today’s career landscape and this is especially true in healthcare. Operating in a high-stress and emotional work environment, healthcare professionals give so much to patients. At the same time, patients need professionals who deliver high-quality, personalized experiences from the staff that treats them. At Northwell Health, this is what our Culture of Care is built upon. We spoke with Pam Klatman, Director of Social Work, Cohen Childrens Medical Center about what our Patient Experience Team is doing to find the balance between great patient care and avoiding caregiver burnout.

As Caregivers in a large hospital system, our Culture of Care speaks to the way we provide care and go above and beyond for our patients and their families. We are taught to ‘find the yes’ and always use ‘LAST’ and ‘CONNECT’” says Pam, “This is easy when we have patients and families who are willing to allow us in but many times we have families and patients, especially in hospitals, that are angry, upset or frustrated.”

Patients and their families come to us in their most vulnerable state and often that evokes all kinds of feelings for those who treat them. Those emotions can have a serious effect on a health care professional’s mental wellbeing as well as their quality of work which is why our patient experience team is focused on the mental wellbeing, burnout, and resilience of every one of our valued employees. So what are we doing about it? Enter The Schwartz Rounds.

“Schwartz Rounds provides a confidential space for all caregivers to talk about the way a patient and their family made the caregiver feel or how a particular situation made them feel,” explains Pam, “It is important that when we have these feelings we process them and work through them so that we are able to handle the next obstacle that comes our way.”

This system-wide program gives our employees a regularly scheduled time during their fast-paced work lives to openly and honestly discuss these issues, to feel supported, and to properly process. Through this sharing, caregivers are better able to make personal connections with patients and colleagues when they have greater insight into their own responses and feelings. It’s a place to be themselves and to take care of their own emotional needs so they can go and continue to deliver excellent care to our patients.

And Pam knows that the effect of the Schwartz Rounds program doesn’t end there, “by showing compassion to our colleagues and supporting one another we take care of each other and in turn, take care of ourselves. It is a way to ‘recharge our batteries’ and feel more equipped to handle the challenges of the coming days.”

At Northwell Health, we believe that when we can share our experiences with each other and thus become better caregivers, coworkers, and people. What makes us human, is what makes us Made for this.

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Made for delivering holiday cheer

At Northwell Health, we know how important the holidays are for our patients. We take pride in being able to help our patients, their families, and our employees celebrate all season long across the health system! By delivering holiday cheer, our team members help patients and employees alike get into the spirit of the season.

“The holiday events that we host here at Cohen Children’s Medical Center bring such joy to the children at our hospital,” says Danielle Young, special events and donations coordinator of the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Program at CCMC, “These are just a few small ways that we can put a smile on the faces of the patients and brighten their day.”

And it’s not just children who get excited to celebrate! “Creating a holiday light show not only impacts the patients we care for, but also impacts the staff caring for this special population,” says Melissa Anne D’Agostino BSN, RN, Child and Adolescent nurse manager at South Oaks Hospital, “It brought tears to our eyes when an adult patient told us she was so happy to see the light show as she was recently admitted and away from her child for the holiday. Another little boy was using the fake snow to make snow angels and walked around with the snow on his face, telling staff he was Santa. It was an amazing event for all!”

Check out a quick recap and pictures from just some of the amazing events Northwell hosted this holiday season!

Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Macy’s Santa Visit with AFLAC – December 5^th
Macy’s Santa comes with AFLAC and visits with the children, delivering the gift of AFLAC toy ducks.
North Shore High School Holiday Performance – December 21^stNorth Shore High School comes and does holiday songs in the atrium for patients and families.
Violin performance – December 6^th
A group violin performance in the atrium for patients and families.
SISCO Santa Event – December 14^th
CCCM turns an office into the North Pole and kids can skype with Santa to let them know what they want for Christmas. Santa also has gifts for each room.

South Oaks Hospital

Holiday Campus Tree Lighting – December 3rd
Holiday campus tree lighting for employees and their families.
Winter Wonderland Light Show – December 19th
The courtyard is decorated with lights and blow up decorations for the holidays. Holiday music is played and there is even a snow machine (that both the kids and adults love!) to create snow while patients are served hot cocoa and cookies.

Lenox Hill Hospital

Annual Employee Children’s Holiday Party – December 14th
Lenox Hill employess are invited to bring their children to this festive event, which features face painting, kiddie rides, seasonal treats and decorations and, of course, a chance to meet Santa Claus.
Annual NICU Reunion Holiday Party – December 14th
Each holiday season, children who spend time in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) are invited to come back to LHH and to spend time with the doctors and nurses as well as other patients who were here during the time they were.

North Shore University Hospital

Holiday Parade Around 4 Cohen
4 Cohen hosted a Holiday Parade where in collaboration with PT and OT, patients and family paraded around the unit to holiday music
Winter Wonderland Event
The NSUH Winter Wonderland is a multi-session, appreciation event for employees and their children led by NSUH Administration, Human Resources and Engineering Department. The Engineering Department uses their incredible talent and skill to transform the entire Rust Auditorium into an amazing winter-themed display, complete with lighted trees, animated figurines, giant inflatables and fake snow for employees and their families to view the display, take their picture with Santa Claus and enjoy traditional winter treats. Additionally, fun entertainers include therapy dogs, Frosty the Snowman and face painters.
Acapella Music
College students (including a NSUH volunteer) from local Acappella groups come in and sing to help deliver holiday cheer to the patients.
Visit from the Brotherhood from Temple Beth El
For the past 46 years the Brotherhood from Temple Beth El in Great Neck has been coming in to spread cheer at North Shore University Hospital. About 45 members come in and are divided into 3 groups. 2 groups go up on the units and sing for patients, visitors and employees. They are equipped with guitars, bells and tambourines. The other group works with our Rabbi to create 800-1,000 Bikkur Cholim Boxes which are handed out to Jewish patients by volunteers every Friday.
Holiday Gifts from the Auxiliary of North Shore University Hospital
The Auxiliary of North Shore University Hospital pays for holiday gifts to be handed out to every patient in house. The gift is a picture frame which is wrapped in ribbon and has a card attached. It is hand delivered by members of our Auxiliary and also other North Shore University Hospital Volunteers.