Doors open for ESL students and others with Advocate Sherman Hospital internship

Alma Serna had no idea how to make possible her dream of working in a hospital until she was tapped for a pilot internship program spearheaded by YWCA Elgin.

Now the Elgin resident is waiting to hear which position she will be offered by Advocate Sherman Hospital, where she finished the eight-week internship last week.

"Since I was a child, I always knew that I wanted to work in a hospital because I love to help others," said Serna, a native of Mexico who has a disabled daughter and works at Little Angles Nursing Home in Elgin. "Now that I have this opportunity, I feel so good that I can do something that I really want to do."

Nine of 13 interns have been hired by Sherman Hospital, and the rest are expected to get jobs there, said Aaron Witkowski, manager of human resources at Sherman.

Half the interns are current or past English as a Second Language students at YWCA Elgin - including Serna, who is taking night classes - and the others are certified nurse assistants who graduated from AVID CNA School in Elgin.

The internship program was spearheaded by Rose Diaz, workforce and student success director at the YWCA. A major benefit is that, once hired by the hospital, full-time employees are eligible for reimbursement for nursing school costs, Diaz said.

"We have a lot of ESL students who end up working in factories in low-paying jobs with no benefits," she said. "This gives them an opportunity for other things."

Interns had to be excited, not just curious, at the prospect of a career in health care, she added. "There are so many people who are unhappy with their jobs, and being passionate about your job affects productivity and happiness."

The interns went through an orientation with Diaz that included coaching and working on their resume and interview skills. The application process included an interview, and health and drug screening at the hospital.

Sherman typically hires by posting openings online, but that makes it difficult for people who don't have computers or whose English skills are limited, Witowski said.

"For us, what (the internship program) meant was building relationships with the community, and see what other ways there are in reaching candidates we hadn't thought of," he said.

The internship was divided into two tracks: patient services for those with no nursing background and patient care for those with nursing degrees.

Both tracks consisted of spending time in various departments so interns got a chance to figure out what they like best, said Terri Howard-Blalark of Elgin, an intern who graduated from AVID CNA School and was hired to work as an emergency room patient care technician.

"I thought it was great," she said. "I was a great opportunity to get in and do rotations with each department. It pretty much gave you the opportunity to really decide where you fit in."

The program was so successful that Diaz and Witowski hope to offer it annually. "It's been a great partnership," Diaz said.