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Kelly Kassab, chief operating officer at Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Jefferson Hospital, had a critical task at hand — to increase the diversity of the hospital’s workforce while simultaneously improving the rates of employment across allied health care fields.
In April 2022, the hospital, with Kassab at the helm, started the Talent Attraction Program (TAP).
“We created the Talent Attraction Program as one way to pursue the goal of doubling our diversity by 2025 and making sure our workforce matches the diversity of the communities we serve,” Kassab explains. “When we looked at the numbers provided by HR, the other insight was that diverse employees tended to be in entry-level positions. So, in developing this program, I also focused on getting students onto career tracks where they can truly prosper.”
TAP is a first-of-its-kind work-study program designed to significantly increase the number of diverse candidates for AHN employment opportunities across various allied health fields. Allied health professionals include imaging technologists, respiratory therapists, medical lab technologists, surgical technologists, and others who support diagnostic, technical and therapeutic health care needs. Nurses are also included in TAP.
As part of the program, prospective students shadow designated mentors at AHN Jefferson, identify their area of interest, and then enroll in respective higher education programs with the Community College of Allegheny County, West Penn School of Nursing, or Citizens School of Nursing to fast-track them onto their career path of choice. TAP covers all tuition costs and related expenses for enrolled students, thanks to support from local philanthropic partners like the Highmark Foundation and Jefferson Regional Foundation.
Since its launch, over 40 students have successfully enrolled in the program in pursuit of various career paths. Based on its proven track record of success, TAP has now expanded to nine of AHN’s acute-care facilities with a goal to enroll as many as 200 students throughout the region within the next academic year.
In the video below, Robert Brown and Chelsey Durst share their stories as students enrolled in TAP. Those who want to learn more or apply for the opportunity can contact Kaseem Bey at Kaseem.Bey@AHN.org or call 412-310-5148.
Robert Brown, Talent Attraction Program Participant: I am the oldest on both sides, so I’m kind of setting a tone in terms of school – I’m kind of like the guinea pig for everything.
My name is Robert Brown. I’m a senior at Cal U, and I am a West Penn School of Nursing prospect.
I’m trying to block out the noise from other people when they say that nursing school is hard. I want to do it, and I know what I signed up for.
Chelsey Durst, Talent Attraction Program Participant: Being a lab tech was something that I wanted to do. I put it on the back burner solely because it was school, and that can be expensive.
My name is Chelsey. I work at Jefferson Hospital’s lab, processing specimens for the entire lab for all departments.
Kelly Kassab, chief operating officer, AHN Jefferson Hospital: I started putting this program together because we had a goal to double our diversity by 2025. I went to HR and I got my diversity numbers, and they weren’t good. It surprised me, because we sit within diverse communities. But the reason why is that when we were hiring diverse employees, they were being hired into entry-level positions. So, right away, when I’m developing the program, I thought that the right thing to do is to get these students educated and on a career track where they can make really good money.
Chelsey Durst, Talent Attraction Program Participant: The program has helped me overcome several difficulties. It helped me get to school much faster, not having to worry about things that are going on in the future or financially.
Kelly Kassab, chief operating officer, AHN Jefferson Hospital: We pay their tuition. The tuition bill never goes to the student’s house. That’s a real bonus here.
Robert Brown, Talent Attraction Program Participant: My family was excited about me getting my tuition paid for. I thought it was fake at first, because it sounded too good to be true.
Kelly Kassab, chief operating officer, AHN Jefferson Hospital: Sometimes when the students come in, they have underlying issues that they’re concerned about. It really helps to have a mentor. So that’s one of the first things we did is we signed the students up to have a mentor.
Chelsey Durst, Talent Attraction Program Participant: I have an amazing mentor who’s been doing this for quite some time. It’s nice to know that there are people that have your back, and no matter what’s going on, you have people that will help you and do anything they can to get you the answers you need.
Kelly Kassab, chief operating officer, AHN Jefferson Hospital: We do this for many reasons. One, it’s the right thing to do for the students. But two, we need health care workers in this hospital and all the hospitals. We are filling those opening by committing to these students, helping them start their careers, which helps us fill positions.
Robert Brown, Talent Attraction Program Participant: Hopefully in a couple months I’m relaxing. It’s a long journey, and me being the oldest I’m just trying to finish what I started. The next step is starting nursing school in July. So, with the Talent Attraction Program, I feel confident in my future that I could get the job done and reach my goal as a nurse.
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