Tuesday, August 10, 2021
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Patient care technicians are saying WOW to this benefit
The Work Only Weekend (WOW) program at Roper St. Francis Healthcare offers alternative scheduling options for nurses who need a weekend-only schedule to meet life needs such as childcare or school.
In response to national staffing shortages, Roper St. Francis Healthcare is ramping up the WOW program and providing the same structure to patient technicians in hopes it will help with recruitment and retention. Roper St. Francis plans to hire more than 40 PCTs in the coming weeks and if successful, will continue to add positions in early 2022.
Turnover of PCTs is high across the country with Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s vacancy rate at about 12 percent. Last year, 108 PCTs separated from Roper St. Francis, which added stress and burden on nursing units. Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s new PCT WOW program will offer an even safer environment for patients and provide much needed help to the entire staff.
Weekend only staffing models have been replicated across the country from the Baylor University Medical Center program where it was initiated as a recruitment and retention tactic in 1981.
“Patient care technicians are integral as they assist patients in their day-to-day lives, helping them with tasks such as eating, bathing and changing clothes,” Vice President of Nursing Marissa Jamarik said. “Ensuring that we have plenty of PCTs working weekends, which are our hardest-to-fill shifts, is a win for patients as well as our caregivers.”
For additional information on open PCT WOW positions, check out our Careers Page.