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In This Issue:
Laura McPhilemy, a unit coordinator and patient care assistant in the PACU and Day Surgery, struggled with the cost of tuition during her last few semesters in nursing school.
She had maxed out her loans, and, if she took out another one, she would have to put it in her father’s name. When a colleague told her about the BWH Educational Financial Assistance Program, which awards employees up to $10,000 in a forgivable loan for tuition and fees, she immediately applied.
“I got it, and it was a huge help and relief,” said McPhilemy, who graduated from Caritas Laboure College in Dorchester in May and begins next month as a nurse on Tower 16. “It’s so great that if you give to the Brigham, the Brigham will give back to you like this.”
McPhilemy is one of nine employees who received assistance from BWH’s Educational Financial Assistance Program this past year. Earlier this month, the BWH Workforce Initiative hosted its second annual luncheon to honor staff and managers who participate in this program, as well as the Patient Care Assistant Program, Surgical Technology Program and certificate program in Community Health and Community Health Center Management.
“We are here to celebrate people who have the courage to think about their future,” said BWH President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, during the celebration. “This hospital is rich with choices and opportunities for a career path, and these programs help people develop the skills to get where they want to be.”
Six employees graduated from the PCA training program offered in conjunction with Bunker Hill Community College, Nursing and Workforce Development, and two graduated from the surgical technology program offered by BWH and Massachusetts Bay Community College. Mary Jayne Nova of Brookside Community Health Center completed a nine-month certificate in Community Health and Health Center Management offered by the Mass. League of Community Health Centers at Suffolk University.
Gottlieb and Beverley Sobers, director of Workforce Development, praised the managers who serve as mentors and encourage their staff to grow. “The supervisors in this program are true mentors who consider the development and career paths of each person who works in their areas,” Gottlieb said. “I thank them for that.”
Day Surgery Unit Operations Supervisor Christina Tess was encouraging and supportive of McPhilemy. “When I needed to change my hours for my class schedule, she was always great about it, and the nurses in Day Surgery always helped me study for tests or invited me to observe a procedure,” said McPhilemy, who has worked at BWH since her junior year in high school.
She added, “I really wanted to stay at the Brigham while I was in school. I love it here.”
For more information on these programs, visit www.brighamandwomens.org/HumanResources/workforcedevelopment.aspx