Staff Development Program: Engage, Retain, and Promote from Within

Presenters will outline the staff development program for department of medicine administrative staff. The goals of which were to create a framework that would guide a current staff member who is interested in exploring a different position or area of expertise; satisfy staff member desire for skills-building and professional development; and develop a pipeline for promotion and/or recruitment of staff as well as retention for high-performing staff. The program consists of two tracks: finance & data analytics and research administration, both areas of which surveyed staff expressed interest in. Participants were self-selected or nominated by their supervisors and completed a detailed application and were interviewed by program admininstrators. Five applicants were selected for the research admin track and seven were selceted for the finance track. The programs take place across 3.5 months and consist of a mix of live in-person and online self-paced trainings. Each participant is assigned a mentor to guide them through the process and help them select and complete a final project. Projects should solve a real-life problem or give the participant the opportunity to contribute a work product to their section when possible. Participants are expected to spend one to three hours per week on the trainings, mentor meetings, and additional assignments/readings. At the end of the program, participants receive a certificate of completion at a formal ceremony and will be given the opportunity to participate in future cohorts of the program as a mentor or trainer.