customer story

gritman

Bridging the Generational Gap with Leadership Development

May 23, 2024
May 23, 2024

About the Customer

Gritman Medical Center is a patient-centered, nonprofit critical access hospital delivering exceptional health care through their hospital and network of regional clinics. Ranked as one of the top 100 private companies in Idaho, Gritman has brought advanced technology, comprehensive service and compassionate care to the communities they serve for more than 125 years.

Address Future Challenges_PChallenge

As a smaller facility with a lot of different programs – nurse residency, certified nursing assistant training, onsite training for medical assistants and phlebotomy, to name a few – Gritman Medical Center does a lot of training and development. They like to provide small class, in-person training, not just for their own employees – other local facilities look to them for assistance with certification training as well. When it came to their leadership development program, they needed a lot of flexibility and a program that could work for a population that spanned both new and seasoned employees, some who had been with the hospital for 40 years. 

Competency_YSolution

As a small hospital with 17 clinics, Arika Jenson, the Director of Education, was looking for a leadership program that was “Gritman-specific” and would work for all of their departments. When they brought on Leadership Development, they created a curriculum of six sessions that included assigned online programs within the HealthStream program and in-person sessions over a three month period, called Fundamentals for Gritman Leaders. Jensen encouraged participants to do the coursework assignments before coming to the in-person sessions. She also recently began an Emerging Leaders workshop, for office managers and similar positions, which would be a less intensive one-day workshop. All participants in the programs received access to all of the Leadership Development courses. 

Improve_CResults

The programs have been well-received, with many participants pleased that they can complete coursework on their own time, from anywhere. It has also been helpful in bridging the generation gap – some departments have employees spanning from ages 18 to 70, so the diversity courses help spur conversation around accommodating the variety of generations within the workplace. Overall, employees have adjusted well to the online assessment portion and have indicated satisfaction with the experience. 


"I really like the diversity courses, they make people think. One of the best things about the Fundamentals program we’re doing is it makes them consider these topics, then we come together as a group in person and we’re able to have a really valuable discussion.”

Arika Jensen, Director of Education, Gritman Medical Center

Request Demo