In this section:

Texas Health maintains its acclaimed culture, prioritizes employees' emotional and physical well-being, and fosters career advancement opportunities to attract and retain the best people in healthcare. With Texas experiencing a significant shortage of nurses, physicians and other allied health professionals, recruiting and retaining top talent is a priority.

Recruitment

In today's dynamic labor market, generating interest in healthcare careers and selecting the right employees is paramount to our long-term sustainability. We leverage data and analytics and deploy programs that continuously build and sustain a diverse pipeline of healthcare and business professionals. These include:

  • Sponsoring graduate medical education programs that combine academic rigor with hands-on practice and support for physician residents to encourage them to start a successful career on the medical staffs at a Texas Health hospital. We offer similar accredited development programs for nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals.
  • Affiliating with numerous colleges, universities and military organizations to promote employment and pipeline program opportunities to students and people in underserved areas.
  • Hosting systemwide hiring events to allow candidates to visit our entities, meet with recruiters and interview with hiring leaders. In many cases, offers are made on the spot.
  • Educating new college graduates on career trajectories within Texas Health and actions they can take to succeed.
  • Providing apprenticeships and “earn as you learn” initiatives to introduce individuals to fulfilling vocational jobs. Our FastTrack Certified Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician and Pharmacy Technician apprenticeship programs upskill capabilities to advance careers and expand access to healthcare in our growing region. To date, over 600 individuals have participated.
  • Prepaying up to $5,250 in tuition to facilitate employment and advancement opportunities. More than 2,000 benefits-eligible employees take advantage of our reimbursement program yearly.
  • Promoting a transitional nurse program that helps nurses seeking to change specialties stay with Texas Health and grow their careers.
  • Incentivizing employees to refer qualified colleagues to open positions.
  • Connecting new hires with onboarding navigators to make integration successful and seamless.
2023 Highlights

Texas Health:

  • Filled over 10,773 requisitions, including PRN (as needed) positions. We also hired 643 new graduate nurses, recruited 374 employees through in-person hiring events and placed more than 1,352 candidates through our dedicated pipeline programs, fostering diversity by targeting underserved communities.
  • Expanded our graduate medical education programs to train 45 interns, fortifying our physician pipeline. Additionally, we helped new nursing graduates begin their careers and successfully transition from school to work.
  • Reduced time to fill positions by nine days, helping us keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring process.
  • Ended the year with a workforce size of 29,414, up from 26,844 in 2022.

Snapshot: A New Chance at a Fresh Start

When Marcis Brown was initially introduced to the concept of a learn-while-you-earn apprenticeship program offering a secure pathway to a healthcare career, he was skeptical. However, his perspective shifted when Kasandra Axelson, a recruiter at Texas Health, presented him with an enticing opportunity: the Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program with Texas Health Physician Group.

Over 15 weeks, Marcis received a salary while learning about human anatomy, medical terminology, and practical skills such as administering injections, drawing blood, recording vital signs, and conducting electrocardiograms. The first 10 weeks comprised immersive classroom sessions, followed by an additional five weeks dedicated to an externship, during which Marcis gained hands-on experience in a real-world healthcare setting. Upon successfully completing the program, Marcis had to pass a national certification exam.

“Through intensive study we achieved in three months what would take 12-14 months nationally, and that is something I am extremely proud of,” Marcis said. "This opportunity gave me stability and job security, and I can provide a better life for my family. I learned I can achieve whatever I set my mind on. It shows my kids that possibilities in life are endless if you persevere. I am doing something meaningful and making an impact.”

Snapshot: Internship Supports Students with Disabilities

In collaboration with Fort Worth Independent School District, three Texas Health hospitals offered a nine-month Project SEARCH internship program to provide hands-on work experience for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The program offers rotations in various hospital departments and includes on-site support from special education teachers, who teach students how to apply for jobs and interviews. The Fort Worth Report profiled the program and Martin Vasquez, an intern who delivered supplies throughout the hospital. Following graduation, he hopes to continue working part-time at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth while he attends college.

Retention

We cultivate an exceptional workplace to retain valued employees, preserve institutional knowledge and deliver better care. To encourage long-term careers at Texas Health, we welcome employees of various cultures and backgrounds, give them opportunities to achieve their career potential, offer competitive compensation and benefits, and provide resources and support to enhance their well-being.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which strained caregivers across the globe, along with a surge in aggression and violence in healthcare settings, Texas Health has prioritized maintaining an exceptional workplace. From adding mental health and well-being resources to increasing pay and work-life balance benefits to strengthening physical protection measures, we have made a concerted effort to retain valued employees, particularly first-year hires.

2023 Highlights

Texas Health:

  • Enhanced leadership capabilities to preemptively address staffing issues while gathering regular employee feedback to drive continuous improvement. We also redesigned our Manager Center’s platform to make it easier for leaders to access resources based on specific topics and concerns.
  • Provided skill development opportunities and encouraged the exploration of new roles within the organization. We offered scholarships and reimbursed tuition to ease the financial burden.
  • Offered flexible schedules, remote work options and shift enhancements to support work-life balance. We also reviewed and updated salary ranges, differentials and incentives to remain market-competitive.
  • Improved overall retention to nearly 85%, reaching nearly pre-pandemic levels. We also increased first-year retention to 70%, the highest in two years, and converted 15.7% of seasonal caregivers to full-time employment.
  • Launched a biannual survey to get feedback at all stages of the employment journey, helping to refine retention strategies.
  • Recognized 72% of the workforce through our employee recognition program, slightly short of our 75% goal. We issued $1.3 million in spot recognition awards and distributed 38,912 thank-you cards.