LEAP Graduate Conquers Career Milestone

LEAP Graduate Conquers Career Milestone

When Emily Underwood joined the Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) team as a Housekeeper in 2021, she immediately connected with the long-term care community. The residents sparked Emily's passion for providing care, and she soon realized the career growth opportunities within HCSG.

Shortly after joining HCSG, Emily was offered the opportunity to join the Leadership Empowerment Apprenticeship Program (LEAP) to take her skills and career to the next level. LEAP is one of the first healthcare management apprenticeships registered with the US Department of Labor for dining and environmental services. The 12-month program is uniquely designed to educate field-level employees on essential skills within dining or environmental services to prepare them for management opportunities within HCSG.

When Emily started the program, she was apprehensive and thought the course load would be overwhelming. As she immersed herself in training, she was quickly relieved and pleasantly surprised that the courses were manageable. She expressed, "The course load was about six weeks per section, and it was broken down well. My incredible District Manager Angel Tillar supported and guided me through every step throughout the program."

As Emily progressed through the coursework, she experienced hands-on learning, which made her aware of each role's responsibilities, including housekeeping, laundry aide, and floor tech. When she reached the program's final phase, she trained for the account manager role, which involved administrative training, budgeting, ordering, project scheduling, and overall staff management.

Graduating from LEAP allowed Emily to apply to an open Account Manager role. There, she continued to excel and was later promoted to her current role as Training Center Account Manager (TCAM) at Caraday of Mesquite. TCAMs are responsible for leading and supporting Managers-in-Training (MIT) and Registered Apprentices through hands-on instruction, where their knowledge and experience are valuable resources in the development programs.

Emily is the first TCAM to have gone through LEAP. Her passion is serving the long-term care community and supporting her team members. Emily's day-to-day routine varies, but when she has a Manager-in-Training or LEAP associate, she is their go-to person. Emily said,"I show the trainees the ins and outs of everything. They're dedicated and determined to achieve their goals, and it's all worth it. I'm happy to be a part of that process."

Emily has had one graduate complete LEAP and is excited for more participants. She exclaimed, "I love helping people who are eager to grow and learn! When it comes to LEAP, all of the information is ready to be consumed. You just have to be willing to dive in headfirst."

Emily's goals within HCSG include to keep moving up. She is always open to learning new skills and aspires to reach a District Manager position or above. She concluded, "I want to continue to teach what I know to other team members to support their career journeys and our residents. The gratification of making someone's life just a little bit easier with the simple things I do daily keeps me going."

Inspired by Emily's story? Learn more about the dynamic career opportunities in management that provide a path for professional growth and leadership in the healthcare industry at HCSG.Careers.

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