Inside Duke Medicine

Career assessment, planning and exploration at Duke University Hospital

This article is the first of a three-part series
By Olufunke Moses

For Duke Hospital employees looking to explore new opportunities in health care, the Career Exploration Fair on Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 and 7, will provide a great place to begin. The event, the first of its kind at the Hospital, was developed to encourage Duke employees to consider the many possibilities—and positions—that Duke has to offer.

Assistant Director of Hospital Human Resources Brian Anderson hopes that by focusing the Fair on internal staff, employees will begin to think bigger and develop career pathways. “That's what this fair is really designed to do -- to help people think larger,” he says. “The goal is to provide Duke Hospital employees with a broader, in-depth look at everything available and to help our team members really start thinking about their careers.”

A key focus of the event is to support filling positions that are both critical and hard to fill. During the two-day event, representatives from a range of areas, such as Pharmacy, Radiation Therapy, Perioperative Services, Cardiac Services and Advanced Practice Nursing, will be on hand to meet with participants and share information. “The Fair is basically a one-stop shop,” says Anderson. “We want to be able to provide the employees with all the necessary tools, without having to go externally.”

Scheduled to be held in the Searle Center Lecture Hall, the Fair requires interested employees to register for one-hour blocks of time between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Once there, participants can speak with clinical experts about the professional opportunities available, then meet with representatives from nearly two dozen colleges and universities to discuss educational and training opportunities they offer. Duke Benefits will also be on hand to share information on tuition benefits, such as the Employee Tuition Assistance Program (ETAP). Local groups will provide guidance on services that can help support participants in their career progression.

“We all understand that people have other impediments that might stop them from progressing career-wise, other than just education,” says Anderson. "So we invited some community-based organizations to participate in the Fair, to provide information on services that will alleviate some of the external issues.”

Also, Anderson says, additional FTEs will be needed to staff the new Cancer Center and Duke Medicine Pavilion, which are currently under construction. “Obviously, we can hire externally,” he says, “but this is a great opportunity to grow our own.”

Anderson's ultimate goal is that employees leave the Fair with a clear picture of where new opportunities lie -- and how to take advantage of them. “What I'd to see happen is people walk away knowing that Duke is invested in their career development,” he says.

The Duke University Hospital Career Exploration Fair will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 and 7, from 8:30 a.m. To 5:00 p.m, in the Searle Center Lecture Hall.

Registration is required by April 3 at: http://surveymonkey.com/s/DUHCareerExpFair

For more information, call (919) 681-7833.