By LORRAINE AGNEW
Courier-Post Staff

Recruiting and retaining health-care professionals has become a challenge for those in the medical staffing field.

Some recruiters are resorting to incentive packages that include giving tuition reimbursements and others are giving bonuses. But health-care professionals are needed not only in hospital settings. They are also a huge part of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

At the Evergreens in Moorestown, Linda Parthemer, director of Human Resources and Corporate Compliance, has been trying to meet the challenging task of keeping a staff of more than 200 and luring more people into the field.

Aside from her pursuit through newspaper advertising, she has also considered radio, television and movie theater venues. However, her most effective source of recruitment, she said, is an incentive package she feels is desirable to applicants as well as those already on staff.

"We are exploring a number of programs. We are very competitive with our salary rates in all fields," said Parthemer.

One part of her incentive packages is tuition reimbursement.

Her aim is to encourage those in the peripheral health-care positions, such as maintenance and administration, to go back to school and eventually move into one of the more direct health-care positions, such as nursing.

The constant flow of people moving from the fringes of health care to the core, she said, will maintain a highly trained staff and encourage others to seek out health-care positions. By doing this, Parthemer said, when people retire, she will have trained professionals ready to fill those positions.

"We pay up to $2,000 a year for all employees who want to return to school. And that is for anyone on staff and any subject they choose," said Parthemer.

She is negotiating with Burlington County College to create a fellowship program for her staff.

So popular is the tuition reimbursement program that several employees have gone back to school, even if only part-time, she said.

One employee who is in maintenance is taking a course in computer networking, Parthemer said. "Hopefully, he will remain with the Evergreens upon completion."

Another employee, Dakia McMillian, is also pursuing higher goals.

McMillian, 26, of Sicklerville, is the director of nursing. She attends the University of Delaware part-time. And Evergreen's tuition reimbursement program is covering all the costs.

McMillian plans to become a nurse practitioner after she takes the required class credits. She then hopes to transfer to the University of Pennsylvania to get a degree for nurse practitioner.

"I like working in the medical field and this is a plus. A lot of hospitals do it (reimburse tuition), but it is nice to see a nursing home doing it," said McMillian.

When she completes her schooling, McMillian said she will continue to be the nursing director. But, she adds, "I will be able to do even more."

Another employee, a certified nursing assistant, is taking a course in interior design. Parthemer hopes she, too, will remain on staff as a consultant helping to create comfortable and attractive living environments since the Evergreens is a continuing care retirement community licensed for 200 apartments for independent living.

The facility is also licensed for 40 residential health-care units and 60 units for residents who require full-time nursing assistance. Parthemer said she could use an interior designer on staff.

Parthemer's incentive package doesn't stop with schooling. Staffers, she said, are allowed to use the exercise equipment and the indoor heated swimming pool. Recreation Director Carole Riccuitto and Parthemer are coordinating a time schedule that will allow the staff to use these facilities.

Like many other facilities, however, the Evergreens is slightly understaffed. But according to Parthemer, "We would like to have 10 more people. But we are able to provide services with the staff we have."

At the Health Care Center at Washington in Turnersville, administrator Larry Nogle said his facility is facing the same staffing challenges.

"This is not just a statewide crisis, it is nationwide. The American Hospital Associaton and the American Nurses Associaton have been addressing it at the state and federal level."

He added that since they are a nonprofit nursing home and since Medicaid is under-funded, they cannot compete with other industries with salaries.

But Nogle has a string of other incentives he uses to recruit and retain his staff.

"Because we are part of the Kennedy Health System, we have the same health and benefit package as the hospital group. We have to offer a benefit program to keep our personnel from moving into the hospital," said Nogle.

The nursing home also has a bonus program where employees are encouraged to bring in nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. Employees who bring in qualified people to fill vacancies are given a bonus of between $500 and $1,000, Noble said.

In addition, employee shift differentials have increased to $3 per hour for workers who take on extra responsibility of an unscheduled shift.

Like Evergreen, the Health Care Center also has a full tuition reimbursement for almost any course.

"Hopefully to be used for health-care education. But it's pretty broad based," added Nogle.

Health Care also offers other incentives such as a contributory tax security annuity up to 4 percent.

Nogle would like to see increases in funds from Medicare and Medicaid especially for certified nursing assistants.

"What they do could be called heroic and what they get paid is not enough to get people into that field," Nogle noted.