Asked to Become HR Director
In 1985, the CEO of the healthcare organization where Donna worked as Director of Education asked her to become the Director of Human Resources. He offered to provide her with the training she needed if she accepted the job. She agreed, and he did.
Although there was an initial steep learning curve, she quickly caught on and excelled in the new role. Her background in nursing provided her with insight into the issues faced by departments in managing performance issues, and God blessed her with discernment in distinguishing facts from smoke and mirrors. Having the ability to hear a story, identify the key factors impacting the players, and discard the additional information that clouded the picture truly helped make problem-solving more successful.
Gained Knowledge Through Leadership Inner Circle
Throughout her years in Human Resources, she participated as part of leadership’s inner circle, which further helped her learn about each department. She gained insight into how they worked together to make the organization function. Not only did she learn HR standards, but she also gained knowledge about the standards of practice expected for each department, including the regulations and laws specific to each hospital component. By the time she retired in 2018, she had a comprehensive understanding of how every part of the organization functioned. She knew each department’s primary external resources, their operational staffing plans, the factors that affected the success or struggles encountered by that department, and any information unique to a department that someone working with them should have. This wealth of knowledge is another reason I feel qualified to help others find the resources they need when reaching out for help.
Donna describes some of the specialized training she acquired below to show how her experiences broadened her knowledge of the healthcare industry.
Domestic Violence – help employees find safe havens and plan escapes from dangerous situations at home | Crisis Management – used primarily during domestic disputes, but also when employees with unstable conditions were escalating out of control, and we needed to de-escalate. Behaviors. |
Co-Chaired VCUHS’s Threat Assessment and Intervention Team | Crucial Conversations – used to reconcile disputes and conflicts |
Served on the leadership team for the health system’s Disaster Preparedness Team – led the section for Employee staffing and planning. | Served on the Governor’s Planning Committee on Flu Pandemic in early 2000 before COVID (they should have read our report) |
Employment Law – wrote all the employee policies for the Health System | Trained the health system on the Americans with Disabilities Act and led a program for the Chamber of Commerce |
Trained the Health System on the Family Medical Leave Act and enforced compliance with the Act | Director of Equal Opportunity for Employment Services and Affirmative Action for the Health System |
Trained all non-nursing managers on how to evaluate employees for competency and to conduct performance reviews for patient care standards | Monitored compliance with all regulatory healthcare standards related to human resources, working with all the other healthcare teams to ensure full organizational compliance before regulatory agency surveys. |
Trained in conducting investigations into fraud, potentially unethical, illegal, or incompetent activity by employees of the health system. My team found initial evidence and reported their findings to the police. | Trained as a mediator – both to do mediations between two parties or groups. |
