Whether you’re an employer or an employee, actively pursuing professional development ensures that you’re constantly challenging yourself to lead a fulfilling career. At evolvedMD, our unique model not only fosters deep collaboration with our partners but within our team too as we work to drive improved patient outcomes. That’s why we’ve implemented intentional initiatives to strengthen our people-first culture and foster continuous learning, chief among them being Collaborative Field Days.
Spearheaded by Dr. Ruth Nutting, Director of Clinical Programs, and Joy Simon, Care Coordination Manager, Collaborative Field Days is a program designed to foster and strengthen the relationship between our Behavioral Health Managers (BHMs) and Care Coordinators (CC)s, two key components of our enhanced collaborative care model. According to Joy Simon, Collaborative Field Days is, “A way for BHMs to get to know their CCs better and vice versa. It’s a great opportunity to not only strengthen the partnership between our CCs and BHMs but to also enhance the overall patient experience.”
Even more so, the program gives CCs the opportunity to see BHMs in action with a few of our CCs interested in potentially becoming a BHM. Through Collaborative Field Days, CCs can network, ask questions, and get first-hand experiences out in the field.
evolvedMD’s People-First Culture and Continuous Learning
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As an organization committed to fostering a people-first culture that regularly supports our workforce, a great example of this dynamic at play is one of our amazing employee’s own experiences with Collaborative Field Days.
Ashley Van Bodegon, a former Care Coordinator recently promoted to Behavioral Health Manager during Collaborative Field Days, shared how the field days helped prep her transition, “I enjoyed spending time with the BHMs I was assigned to [Lisseth Lopez, Leah Wolin, and Sylvia Close] and building an alliance with them. I learned that being a BHM is a tough job that requires a lot more skills than simply running brief interventions. I really enjoyed the training I went through to become a BHM.”
Our BHMs shared similar sentiments. Lisseth Lopez shared that, “The most rewarding part was meeting everyone and seeing how enthusiastic they were and wanting to be part of change that will better help patients. It made me feel extremely happy to know that they (care coordinators) were team players and willing to share their knowledge so we can all grow together as a team.”
Following her experience, Ashley hopes to get involved in training opportunities as the company continues to rapidly grow. Committed to nurturing our employees’ ambitions and passions, as outlined by our Director of Sales Kim Ho, we’re confident Ashley will make a tremendous impact training other CCs through this program in the future.
Reflecting on participants’ experiences, we know there are clear benefits to having a people-first culture and fostering continuous learning in the workplace:
The question is, how can your company build a more people-first culture and make continuous learning a staple of that culture?
It Starts at the Top
Leadership should not only actively encourage continuous learning, but also model the behavior they want to see in their employees. That means regularly participating in an internal career development program (after all, you can never stop learning) as well as checking in on your employees’ progress. Behind every great employee is a great leader that does everything they can to nurture their staff’s ambitions, whether it’s relevant to the business or not.
Regularly Implement New, Thoughtful Initiatives
Believing that learning and growing at work (and in life) is a journey and life-long process, evolvedMD is committed to each of our employees’ professional and personal development. We’re always looking for new ways to encourage continuous learning. For example, in 2022 we will be implementing:
Each grounded in fostering personal and professional development, these initiatives keep things fresh and make our employees more excited to ramp up their skills and take control of their careers. Collaborative Field Days, of course, will continue to be a staple of continuous learning for both CCs and BHMs as we continue to grow.
Leverage Digital Learning
There is still a ton of value in leveraging online resources. Beginning in 2022 we began using LinkedIn Learning. Only a few weeks in, we’d recommend it to any company that wants to incorporate continuous learning into its people-first culture. With a library of over 16,000 courses covering a wide range of technical, business, software, and creative topics, our employees have access to courses featuring skills relevant to their current role or where they hope to be in the future. They even offer courses for supporting mental health during challenging times, creating a people-first framework, and many others that are relevant for your entire organization.
Recognize Employees
We’ve always been intentionally thoughtful about celebrating wins and recognizing employees for their achievements. No matter how grand or granular the win, your employees’ efforts to improve themselves should be recognized. In Ashley’s case during Collaborative Field Days, we didn’t stop celebrating as soon she became a BHM—her Clinical Manager, the evolvedMD team, and not to mention her patients, regularly acknowledge her for the stellar job she’s doing in her new role, whether during All Team Huddles, personal mission moments, and other avenues.
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