Schooled for success. (Not-for-Profit Report).

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly, I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it." This can-do attitude illustrates the importance of learning and the confidence it builds-in a career and in life.

Goodwin House, Inc. (GHI), a not-for-profit corporation organized by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia, presents its staff with an opportunity to continue learning, whether for updated information, career advancement or personal enrichment, at both its continuing care campuses-Goodwin House in Alexandria and Goodwin House West in Falls Church. Together, both facilities serve approximately 750 residents with a staff of nearly 650 full-and part-time employees (of whom approximately 62% are foreign-born).

According to Corporate Director of Human Resources and Development Tricia Jarrell, "GHI is committed to lifelong learning, not only for our staff but for our residents, as well." To embrace this commitment to staff education, the GHI University program was established at Goodwin House in 1997 as a vehicle for providing orientation, training and in-services.

Management/supervisory-development courses, including classes based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which helps determine personality types such as introvert, extrovert, intuitive or sensory, and Stephen R. Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which focuses on developing management skills, are offered. The University curriculum also provides opportunities for staff to hone their communication and literacy skills for professional and personal success.

"The University has become so successful that we also regard it as a premier retention tool," adds Jarrell. "We believe that the more we invest in the employees, the longer these well-trained individuals will stay, which ultimately results in better, more consistent care and service for our residents. One staff member was so enthusiastic about the Myers-Briggs course that she asked if she could be trained to teach it."

The GHI University program is available at both facilities, each with its own training center, computer lab and a faculty composed of residents, supervisors, department heads, in-service lecturers and outside educators. Offering a diversified curriculum, it not only addresses job training for staff, but also provides them avenues for personal enrichment and growth. Because GHI has allocated funding for the program, all classes are provided at no cost to students.

Every six months, a complete syllabus, structured like one for a community college, is prepared. Along with class offerings, it lists prerequisites, whether the class fulfills a mandatory or elective requirement, location, instructor and schedule.

"Eight-hour Education Days are scheduled throughout the year so we can maintain staffing levels for resident care. Every GHI employee, regardless of position, is required to attend one session to fulfill our annual mandatory training requirements," says Jarrell. "These programs refresh and update both general and nursing staff on fire-safety procedures, resident rights, confidentiality and infection-control issues. Staff also learn how to handle resident-transfer trauma, address the spiritual needs of the aging, think about ethics, and so on. General and nursing staff then break out into separate sessions to cover material specific to their roles in the facility.

For example, general staff need to be able to perform the Heimlich maneuver and know how to use safe lifting and stretching techniques to prevent back injury on the job. They also receive diversity training and are briefed on GHI's customer service standards and policies. Meanwhile, the nursing staff reviews care-related protocols on topics such as dental care, podiatric care, nutrition, and nail and hair care. They, too, are instructed on the latest and safest transfer and lifting techniques to minimize injury risk to residents and themselves.

"In addition," Jarrell says, "we recommend that every staff member take two electives each year." The GHI University program offers a diversified range of physical, emotional, technical and artistic classes for personal and/or professional enrichment. These are open to both staff and residents. Electives range from using computers, to money and banking, to fitness classes, to the management-development workshop series.

Realizing the presence of a talent-rich resident population (many of whom are retired teachers), GHI encourages many of them to participate in a Resident Guest Lecture Series. "By tapping into the resident base," says Jarrell, "we are able to expand and diversify our class offerings. One resident who is a wonderful watercolor artist shares her expertise with other interested artists or those who would just like to experience the relaxation of painting." Other resident-led electives include classes in needlepoint, quilting, crocheting, yoga-- even Hawaiian hula dancing. "This becomes a wonderful shared experience," says Jarrell, "because both residents and staff can attend a resident's course; they come to appreciate each other's talents, while learning together and forming bonds with each other."

Other staff electives available include stress management, principles of palliative care and symptom management, auto maintenance, and writing and grammar skills. Whether these are taught by staff or residents, Jarrell says that GHI University's goal is to develop its staff professionally and personally.

"Since many of our staff are foreign-born, to make their jobs--and lives--easier, our curriculum includes citizenship, ESL and GED classes, which are also made available to their family members," says Jarrell. The GED program is conducted on site by Fairfax County Public Schools. Along with sharing their creative skills, residents, after being trained by the staff of Fairfax County Public Schools, also function as mentors and tutors in these classes. Through this involvement, they are instrumental in helping their caregivers grow as GHI employees and as individuals, which gives them a great deal of satisfaction.

As a testament to the success of the program, seven GED graduates have gone on to college. "Not only do Goodwin House, Inc., campuses benefit from better trained and motivated personnel who stay as employees," says Jarrell, "but by also reaching out to family members, we find that many want to join our staff." If staff members or their family members want to become CNAs or nurses, Goodwin House, Inc., has a generous tuition assistance program to help them realize their aspirations.

Retention rates are high at both GHI facilities. Because of their proximity to Washington, D.C., and the military population in the area, resignations that do occur generally are because of family relocation. Jarrell notes that during exit interviews, employees credit the training they receive as a source of great job satisfaction.

Because of its success, GHI is entering into discussions to take the University program out to the community. Jarrell explains, "Although this is still in the development phase, we feel there is need for the educational services we provide, because this area has become home to many immigrants and refugees. Therefore, we would like to work with community leaders and take whatever courses are feasible into the local multicultural and refugee centers."

For more information, contact Tricia Jarrell, corporate director of human resources and development, at [phone] or visit www.goodwinhouse.com. To comment on this article, please send email to [e-mail].