A Taste of Tanner!

Each May - usually near Florence Nightingale's birthday - Tanner Health System commemorates Hospital Week. It's a time to focus on the heroic work of our 2500+ employees and a time to have a little fun.

In the past, that "fun" has taken many forms: softball games, ice cream socials, pop-corn, talent contests and once our Administrative Council even dressed up like "The Village People"!

Hospital Week at Tanner Health System this year will feature exotic cuisine when for the first time, we experience "A Taste of Tanner!". The event takes place on May 12th and will feature dishes from regions around the world - all prepared by Chef Tom Wild and his "top-drawer" team of culinary craftsmen. A recent informal survey among employees revealed that at least 26 different countries of origin are represented by Tanner associates. It is that diversity that we will be celebrating.

Among the sundry edibles, samplings could include:

Tamatar Salad from Pakistan,

Rice Jollof from Nigeria and

Flan deVainilla from Columbia.

Part of what makes Tanner Health System a great place to work is the fact that it is a place in which people from various backgrounds and cultures can bring all their unique personalities and skills to bear on one goal of providing a continuum of quality healthcare services to this community and service area.

Be watching for more posts about this great annual event at Tanner.

A Taste of Tanner!

Does Tanner Offer Internship Opportunities?

"I am willing to work for free," she said "-anything just to keep my skills up...".

That's part of a conversation that transpired in my office recently. The speaker was a student that had recently completed a certification course and wanted to work - at a paying job if possible - but in any case she wanted to work; even if it was without pay.

About this time each year, we in Human Resources get a lot of questions about internships so I wanted to create a post to begin addressing the question. Some of my well-qualified colleagues in our Blog Mob may want to add to my response.

What's an Internship?

I should start by somehow defining an internship. Merriam Webster defines an intern as an advanced student gaining supervised practical experience in their professional field. Internships are usually short term (think summer intern) and they may or may not offer pay. Depending on the field, work of an intern may involve a great deal of observation, or it could include some very real hands-on experience. In some cases, an intern is called upon to help alleviate the burden of a stockpile of backed up work - things like filing, copying, entering data, etc.

Tanner Health System does, at times, offer internship opportunities. The availability of these opportunities will range anywhere from never in some departments to quite often in others.

I spoke with a department director this week about the possibility of internships in her area and she explained to me that because their work would require almost constant oversight, it just wasn't feasible for them to offer internships. If they did, a paid employee would spend most of their time just training and supervising the intern.

One Hand Washes the Other

This brings us to another question: who really benefits from the internship experience? Ideally, internships work out as a "win-win" situation for everyone. The intern receives some much needed "hands on" experience in the real world of health care. And the department receives the benefits of having an extra worker in the area; the possibility of learning some new ideas from someone fresh from the classroom; and a free look at a potential future employee.

If you are a candidate for an internship at Tanner (or anywhere else for that matter), it would behoove you to remember this and do what you can to make the experience profitable for both you and the employer.

How to Get Started

Now to the question that usually follows the "do you offer internships" question and that is: "How can I become a Tanner Intern?".

Tanner does not have a formal process for recruiting interns, so you will not generally find internships posted on our website. Instead we encourage students to contact the career services department at their school. Often they will have information about available slots, or they can initiate contact with Tanner Health System in an effort to explore internship opportunities.

If you have the good fortune of joining Tanner as an intern, remember there are no guarantees of future employment. However, you can count on the fact that you will have an opportunity to learn. And as that student in my office recently already knew - learning is always a very valuable experience.

Does Tanner Offer Internship Opportunities?

Welcome to Our Sneak Peek!

If you are reading this post prior to June 2010, then you are part of an exclusive "sneak-peek" audience.

In the Information Systems world I think they call this a "soft-launch" - something like taking the space shuttle out for a test drive before the actual launch date.

One thing we are hoping to accomplish with some of our new media is to become more accessible to you. Obviously the "Opportunity Talks" blog will be a place you can go to find out more about Tanner Health System, our people and our practices. The blog is also a forum for your questions and comments.

In addition to the blog, Human Resources is now on TWITTER so we encourage you to follow tannerhealthhr and get updates on available positions, coaching tips for job seekers, and information on happenings at Tanner. Those familiar with Twitter will know that when you follow, you join the conversation and we invite your questions and comments there.

It is apparent by your arrival on our blog page, that you are already successfully navigating through the new website. Please return often -not only to check on new positions available, but also to see what new features we have added.

Our hope is that tannerjobs.org will be a dynamic site that changes often in order to better serve you. Your comments and suggestions will help us achieve that goal.

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to Our Sneak Peek!

How Many Times Do I Need to Apply?

Blogging gives the Human Resources department at Tanner one more venue in which to hold a conversation; so frequently we will respond to questions here.

This is a question we get a lot ...

One question we often hear from potential-future-team-members is "How many times do I need to complete an application with Tanner?".

Back in the days when we used paper applications, we usually recommended that people apply once every six months. At the time, we held applications and considered individuals for any positions that seemed to fit their skills.

The problem was that our recruiters worked at a variety of locations and often could not gain immediate access to all applications when a new position opened. The problem was compounded by the fact that it was often difficult to get qualified applications in front of hiring managers.

So our old system of paper applications, twice per year was not very efficient.

Enter the A.T.S.

Now we use an A.T.S. or "applicant tracking system" to better organize our application process. With our system, it is important that applicants apply for every position for which they want to be considered. This requires more active participation from job seekers, since they will need to be aware of new jobs that are posted.

The applicant tracking system we use at Tanner offers several useful tools for the savvy applicant:

• Registration - Prior to completing an application, our system provides a registration opportunity. It takes a little time to complete and requires an email address and password, but once an individual is registered they can easily send a copy of their application to new jobs that are posted. This eliminates the need for going through all the details of completing an application each time a job is posted.


• Log In Now - This link can be found on the Search page of our ATS. Once registered, it allows the candidate to access other available features of the system.


• Check Status - Our applications go through a very defined process, well qualified candidates will have their application viewed by both a Recruiter and a Hiring Manager. The "Check Status" feature allows one to see where his/her application is in the process.


• Job Agent - The "Job Agent" feature monitors new positions being posted. Candidates who sign up for "Job Agent" will be notified by email when a position of interest is available.

So the answer is that applicants should apply often and for every position in which they have an interest. Then they should diligently utilize the tools available on the ATS to track their progress.

Stay tuned (are we supposed to say "stay tuned" when blogging??) to Opportunity Talks for more answers to your burning questions in future posts!

How Many Times Do I Need to Apply?

Tanner Health System Partners with WGTC for ADN Enrollment

Tanner Health System has launched a new program to provide enrollment opportunities for employees entering the ADN (Registered Nurse) program at West Georgia Technical College.

At a recent informational session, B.J. Brock, Assistant Director of Nursing at TMC/Carrollton, explained that nursing program competition has become so tight that this program was designed to give an "edge" to a few exemplary Tanner employees. The partnership involves 4 slots that will be held for Tanner employees. Those selected will have their nursing education provided for on a service-cancellable basis.

Brock indicated the expectations are high for those vying for acceptance. The standards for excellence required will include: management recommendations, leadership/training participation, above average attendance, positive attitude, strong work ethic and two years of employment with Tanner (though some exceptions may apply).

It is also anticipated that those same standards will be displayed in the scholarly efforts of the students selected.

It is possible that some students could be selected to begin classes as early as this Summer.

Employees can learn more by contacting any Director of Nursing or Nurse Educator within the health care system.

Tanner Health System Partners with WGTC for ADN Enrollment