Attracting and Retaining Employees in the Alaska Tribal Health System

1. Attracting and Retaining Employees in the Alaska Tribal Health System Sonya Conant, SPHR Senior Director of Human Resources Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

2. KeyConcepts • Recruitment • Retention • Education Programs • Tribal health organizations • Success factors

3. Recruitment Hiring top talent is what differentiates successful companies more than any other factor. There should be no higher priority on your agenda than securing the most talented employees available.

4. Significance of Recruitment • Ensure capacity to provide services within individual communities that are: • Necessary • Accessible • Timely • Culturally sensitive and appropriate

6. Recruitment Rural/Village vs. Urban

7. Geographic location Isolation Weather Local amenities Community acceptance Lack of local labor pool Education Programs Housing Financial Constraints Lack of organization infrastructure Lack of skilled recruiters Financial Resources Pay and benefits ICPA Generational issues Competition Recruitment Challenges

10. Gambell ClinicSt. Lawrence Island

11. Norton SoundRegionalHospitalNome, Alaska

12. Alaska Native Medical Center Anchorage Alaska

13. Vacancies • Physicians 51 • Mid-level Providers 43 • Behavioral Health Providers 30 • Nursing 65

14. Retention Retaining employees is also a top priority for employers today, yet it is no easy issue to address. In changing manager behaviors and attitudes to respond to the importance of voice, balance, and meaningful work, employees will find that they no longer have to look for greener pastures—they are experiencing the best that organizations can offer: a place where they are valued and respected as not just workers, but as fellow human beings.

15. Significance of Retention • Ensure capacity to provide services within individual communities that are: • Necessary • Accessible • Timely • Culturally sensitive and appropriate • Retention of competent, motivated, engaged and satisfied staff results in increased quality and customer satisfaction.

16. Why People Leave • Isolation • Supervisor/Management • Community Acceptance • Cost of living • Family • Technology • Housing • Pay/benefits

17. Education Programs With the anticipated shortfall of qualified workers, the measures we take today to plan for our staffing needs will greatly assist us in meeting and measuring organizational goals.

18. Education Programs • Scholarships • Internships • Apprenticeships • Certification/vocational training • Work study • Loan repayment • Community Health Aide, Behavioral Health Aide and Dental Therapist training

19. Native Employment • Ensure culturally appropriate and sensitive care • Development of our people • Role models to future generations • Build capacity • Grow our own

20. Grow Our Own

24. Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc • Vacancy rate 20% (10 out of 51) • Recruitment resources - $8K • Native Employment at 83% • Annual turnover 17% • Scholarship programs sponsoring students

25. Maniilaq Association • Vacancy rate 20% (120 out of 590) • Recruitment resources - 1 FTE and $38K • Native Employment at 73.4% • Annual turnover 36.3% • Scholarship programs sponsoring 6 students

26. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium • Vacancy rate 7% (150 out of 2054) • Recruitment resources – 3.5 FTE and $55K • Native Employment at 42% • Annual turnover 15% • 13 ANTHC Scholarship recipients • 38 I.H.S. Scholarship recipients • 17 Summer Interns • 29 Leadership program participants

27. Success Factors • Infrastructure • Mission driven • Better hires • Grow your own • Partner with Educational Institutions • Partner with the community • Competitive pay and benefits • Be realistic

28. Quyanna