VCU news

By Cheryle Rodriguez

Working Mother magazine today named the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System as one of the nation’s 100 best companies of 2012 for working mothers—marking  the eighth year the health system has received the honor. 

The magazine recognized the health system for its wide array of progressive workplace programs that train, support and nurture working mothers, most notably an on-site recreation and aquatic center and a state-of-the-art fitness facility.

“As an academic medical institution, not only do we have a special responsibility to our community but we also have a great responsibility to take care of our own people,” said John Duval, CEO of MCV Hospitals. “We want our employees to know that we care about them as individuals and that we strive to help them with a healthy balance between work and personal life by providing them with opportunities
to maintain and improve their health.”

The VCU Health System has a pre-paid education assistance program that allows full time employees to take up to 18 college credit hours per fiscal year. Last year, 948 employees and 161 dependents received more than $3.87 million to help them advance their educations.

Employees also have access to two of the country’s most prestigious health administration programs: the Master of Health Administration (MHA) and the Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA), which prepare students for top-level executive positions in complex health services organizations.

“We have several formal mechanisms in place to support and provide opportunities for our female leaders, who make up 68 percent of our managers and 76 percent of our workforce,” said Sheldon Retchin M.D., CEO of the VCU Health System and vice president for VCU Health Sciences. “Our culture supports career development in a multitude of informal ways, and our leaders realize that to be successful, our employees must succeed.”

Working Mother also recognized the health system for providing flexible work hours and childcare resources. Self-scheduling is offered in many areas. Employees submit their available work hours and efforts are made to accommodate their requests, providing patient needs are met.

The average age of a VCU Health System employee is 41.6 years old, putting many of them in a position of caring for both parents and children.

A comprehensive Family Care Center, the only intergenerational center
in the region, provides employees with onsite child and adult day care. 

“Our Child Care Center has been in existence for nearly 30 years and its track record for providing excellent childcare — for infants as young as 6  weeks to preschoolers — is renowned, said Maria Curran, vice president of Human Resources and Family Services. "This program is made even more meaningful because the children are able to interact with the seniors who are onsite. The intergenerational approach to care is unique to us and we are extremely proud of it."

“These Best Companies know what it takes to keep all employees, but especially their employee moms, productive and engaged at work,” added Jennifer Owens, editorial director of Working Mother Media. “As the stress surrounding work-life integration continues to rise, so does the opportunity for creating a win-win environment for employees and employers. The Working Mother 100 Best Companies see the payoff from their programs and policies and are outstanding examples for companies to emulate.”

The 2012 Working Mother 100 Best Companies were measured and scored for the 2012 initiative on several factors, including workforce profile, benefits, women’s issues and advancement, child care, flexible work, parental leave and company culture, such as available health and wellness programs.   

VCUHS will be honored at this year’s Working Mother 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress, Oct. 8-10 in New York City. 

Stephanie Call, M.D., Internal Medicine Training Program and associate chair for Education, Department of Internal Medicine, will be recognized as the health system’s "Working Mother of the Year.”

The mother of three girls says the flexible schedule and on-site child care services have allowed her to pursue her passion as a doctor and as a mother. 

“We’re working to do right by all of our approximately 9,000 employees who choose to establish their careers here,” said Curran. “The fact that we have earned this coveted distinction again proves that we are constantly retooling our benefits, programs and events to meet new national benchmarks geared toward helping working mothers in their pursuit of work/life balance.”

The VCU Health System previously earned the recognition from Working Mother in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Profiles of the 100 Best Companies, as well as national comparisons, are in the October issue of Working Mother and at workingmother.com/bestcompanies.

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