V A N D E R B I L T U N I V E R S I T Y M E D I C A L C E N T E R
www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ houseorgan August 2009
HOUSE ORGANHOUSE ORGAN
Quality of Life on the Cumberland
An Ingram Barge-Vanderbilt Dayani partnershipbrings better health to people on the riverboats
2 HOUSE ORGAN
w a t c h i n g t h e w h e e l s
Downhill all the wayBY WAYNE WOOD
Most of my family vacationsgrowing up involvedcamping trips in the
mountains of east tennessee. we would pack up the Chevy
bel-air or (later) the rambler andspend two weeks in a tent ortrailer beside a creek.
Man, what great days! Playingin the cold, cold mountain water,hiking, fishing, reading, and sittingaround a campfire (because it gotchilly at night in the mountainseven in summer).
It didn’t occur to me at the time,because it just wouldn’t, that thiswas not as much a vacation formom and dad. they enjoyedcamping, for sure, but there werestill grown-up things to worryabout, including the no-small-undertaking of providing for threemeals a day using only a campstove. If anything, mom’s “vaca-tion” was probably more actualwork than being at home.
It is a great gift that parents cangive children to allow them to beoblivious to the cares and responsi-bilities of the world. Most of thekids in the world don’t have that,and those of us who did shouldnever forget what a gift it is.
when my brother tim and Iwere old enough to have bikes, westarted bringing them along whenwe went camping. we would rideup and down the mountain roads,savoring the wind in our faces. Inthose pre-iPod, and even pre-walk-man days, I even rigged up a wayto strap a cassette player in the bas-ket of my bike so I could listen tomusic as I rode along. I pedaled upthe shady cool roads, favoring thewildlife and other campers withselections from the beatles’ “abbeyroad” and elton John’s “Madmanacross the water.” I’m sure boththe people and the bears were veryappreciative.
but the real highlight to havingbikes on our camping trip was the
continued on page 12
HOUSEORGANAugust 2009www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ houseorgan
Quality of Life on the Cumberland Imagine stepping into your workplaceand not leaving for three or four weeks.welcome to the world of the towboatcrew. Ingram barge and vanderbilt’sDayani Center work together to keep captains, pilots and other employees inthe best health possible.
3
Saying ThanksJerry Irons is a patient at the Shade
tree Clinic, the east Nashville clinic staffed by vanderbilt medical
students. he believes in its mission somuch he decided to donate several
hundred dollars to say thanks for thecare he’d received there.
10
Credit Union Expands ServicesChecking accounts? Check. Debit
cards and an atM? Check. home equitylines of credit? Check. the vanderbiltemployees’ Credit Union is now fully
capable of being an employee’s primaryfinancial institution, says director
Michael bittle.
11
© 2009House Organ is the magazine for the staff, faculty, volunteers, and students of vanderbilt University MedicalCenter. It is published monthly, with a combined December/January issue, by the office of News and Publicaffairs of vMC. News stories, ideas, and suggestions are welcome, and should be sent to House Organ,CCC-3312 Medical Center North, Nashville, tenn., 37232-2390. e-mail: [email protected].
the paper used to print House Organ is recycled and recyclable.vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university.
Editor and Ex. Director of New Media and Electronic Publications: wayne woodDirector of Publications: Nancy humphreyStaff Writers: leslie hast, Nancy humphrey, wayne woodPhotographers: Joe howell, anne raynerDesigner: Keith wood, vanderbilt University Creative Services
VanderbiltUniversityMedicalCenter
C o v e r P h o t o g r a P h b y J o e h o w e l l
Captain Mark burkhart maneu-vers the 140-foot twin-engine towboat
alongside a barge with far more grace thanmost people bring to parking a car. Under his
deft guidance, his vessel, Ingram barge’s Francis R.Keegan, uses its 4,200 horsepower to dance along the
current of the Cumberland river and ease into place.he casts a “Not bad, eh?” smile over his shoulder at a visitor
aboard his boat, teresa roberts, r.N., executive physical nurse fromthe vanderbilt Dayani Center.
Ingram Barge and Vanderbilt’s Dayani Center create waves of good health
(Quality of )
CumberlandLife
on the
BY WAYNE WOODPHOTOGRAPHS BY JOE HOWELL
August 2009 5
roberts isn’t just some random visitorto burkhart’s riverboat workplace. theyare partners in an innovative program,called Partners in towboat wellness, inwhich captains, pilots, and other person-nel from Ingram barge get comprehen-sive physicals, treadmill tests and healthyliving guidance under a corporate agree-ment between the company and theDayani Center.
the partnership began January 2004,developed with input from both partiesand updated each year to add additionalprograms, services and wellness out-reach, roberts said. the Dayani teamincludes, in addition to roberts, two part-time physicians (robert workman, M.D.,and Mark Jacokes, M.D.), an exercisephysiologist (Zafer Karabulut, Ph.D.),and other health care professsionals,including registered dietitians. robertshas been involved in the program sinceits beginning. the Ingram program,which has more than 600 participants, isthe largest of about 40 corporate healthcontracts managed by Dayani.
roberts, who has been at vanderbiltsince 1986 and at the Dayani Center since1997, is the nurse dedicated to assistingwith the comprehensive physical and U.S. Coast guard (USCg) license renewalprocess. She works closely with theNational Maritime Center in west vir-ginia, and recently became the DayaniCenter’s first certified health coach.
“In my health coaching role, I partnerwith Ingram barge associates to empowerthem to take control of their healththrough meaningful lifestyle changes thatcan reduce their risk factors for develop-ing chronic, many times preventable, dis-eases. and, along the way, they discoverthat they are not just healthier, but theyfeel better!”
the reasoning behind Partners in tow-boat wellness is simple. Captains and
pilots of riverboats have to meet certainhealth standards to renew their USCglicenses every five years, much as airlinepilots need health clearance to fly. theCoast guard requires all applicants thathave a merchant marine license to com-plete a comprehensive medical and physical evaluation. through Partners intowboat wellness, interventions areimplemented to decrease and/or controlhealth problems that could lead to dis-qualification as a licensed mariner.adhering to strict guidelines affirm thatmariners can perform their job withoutunderlying medical conditions that maypotentially disqualify them for service ormay lead to unsafe practices on theinland waterways.
Keeping captains and pilots healthyis good for them, of course, and alsogood for the company, which losesfewer employee workdays to delayedlicense renewals.
Since the license renewal cycle is fiveyears, the Dayani program checks eachparticipating Ingram employee everytwo-and-a-half-years, providing plentyof time to work on correcting any healthconcerns that show up.
“we are seeing a reduction in risk fac-
tors and improved health among theIngram barge associates,” roberts says.
She cites statistics from the programdocumenting that response:
• 40 percent have improved their exer-cise tolerance as measured by treadmilltime
• 23 percent have reduced their bloodpressure
• 35 percent have reduced their choles-terol levels
• 20 percent have reduced their fastingblood sugar
• 10 percent have quit smoking
“our priorities are safety, preventionand reducing risk factors so they can getout there, be healthy, and be safe,” shesays.
and sometime roberts gets “outthere” as well. So on this day, she isaboard the Francis B. Keegan along withDayani staffers regina trainor, coordina-tor of corporate wellness, and Karabulut,who is director of Dayani’s exercise test-ing lab. Joining them are Dave brown,vice president for human resources andsafety at Ingram barge, as well as a van-derbilt News and Public affairs writerand photographer.
Opposite: Captain Mark Burkhart hasworked on the river since he was a teenager.He and his crew work 21-day shifts aboardthe Francis r. Keegan, right.
As he takes the Keegan downriver, the murky green water unfurls its way toward the
Nashville skyline, but from an angle unfamiliar to non-river travelers.
The traffic on the Interstate 24 bridge passes overhead, most of the drivers unaware of the
traffic below on the original “highway” into Nashville, the Cumberland.
6 HOUSE ORGAN
Half of their lives on the riverIf burkhart, 38, is fazed at all these extrapeople in his wheelhouse, he doesn’t lookit. the view from up here is commandingand perspective-changing. as he takes theKeegan downriver, the murky greenwater unfurls its way toward theNashville skyline, but from an angleunfamiliar to non-river travelers. the traf-fic on the Interstate 24 bridge passes over-head, most of the drivers unaware of thetraffic below on the original “highway”into Nashville, the Cumberland.
the material on the Ingram bargesare most commonly sand, which isdredged from the river further down-stream and primarily used in construc-tion projects, and coal, which is minedin the western United States andshipped by river for use in tva powerplants. on this morning, burkhart istaking the Keegan to pick up an empty
barge and move it to a sand yard whereit can be filled for later transport.
burkhart is a genial man with avague resemblance to a young versionof the New orleans musician Dr. John, ifDr. John had a large, two-pointed goateeand a spectacular array of tattoos—including a skull on his left elbow, a spi-der web on his right elbow, bright-inkedflames licking up both arms, and his lastname spelled out in large block letterson his left arm, which has more ink thanthe average copy of the Tennessean.
In other words, picture every boatcaptain you’ve ever seen on tv or inmovies—well, burkhart doesn’t looklike that.
but somehow he still looks like he wasborn to be a riverboat captain.
In a way, he was. he has been on theriver for 20 years, starting out as a deckhand and working his way up. his fatheris a retired Ingram barge captain, and hisbrother and cousin also work on the river.In fact, burkhart’s cousin greg workswith him as the pilot of the Keegan. Sincecaptains and pilots alternate shifts in thewheelhouse, any time, day or night, thereis a burkhart at the controls.
that “day or night” thing is a key tounderstanding the health needs of a rivercrew, and a key reason why the DayaniCenter was hired by Ingram barge. theKeegan, which is typical of the 140 boatsthat Ingram runs on virtually every navi-gable river in the United States, has anine-person crew that works for threeweeks at a time, then has three weeks off.
the captain and pilot work alternatingsix-hour watches for the three weeks thecrew is aboard.
on the Keegan, Mark gets up at 4:30a.m. and takes the wheel at 5:30 a.m. forhis first watch, which ends at 11:30 a.m.when he hands the controls over to hiscousin greg. after greg’s six hours, at5:30 p.m., Mark is back in control. gregreturns at 11:30 p.m. to ply the riverthrough the wee hours until Mark is backthe next morning at 5:30, when the cyclebegins again. “they never sleep morethan five hours at a time,” roberts notes.
Teresa Roberts enjoys the breeze and the sights as the K
The captain has a spectacular array
bright-inked flames
August 2009 7
back in the wheelhouse, Mark hasslowed the barge as the craft nears a rail-road bridge near downtown Nashville.the bridge is too low for the Keegan topass without it being opened like a gate,and right now a train is passing over.Mark has to bide his time until the trainpasses and the bridge operator, who is ina little booth attached to the bridge, canswing it open for the tug to pass.
Mark regularly enters informationabout the Keegan’s location and what it isdoing in a computer to his right; theinformation is sent to the Ingram main
office, which tracks the location of theboats in its fleet.
Mark is the father of a daughter, 20,and a son, 17. he says his life during histhree weeks off between work are spent“taking it easy. I piddle around thehouse. I do whatever my wife wants meto do.”
greg’s children are much younger, 4years and 4 months.
“being on the river for three weeks at atime never bothered me until four yearsago,” he says. Sometimes during his mid-dle of the night watch in the wheelhouse,
his wife phones him if the baby is awake.“I can hear her,” he says of his infantdaughter, and it hits him: he’s been awayfrom his children for half their lives.
The challenges: good sleep, healthy diet, exerciseSleep is important to good health. So arediet and exercise. all three are a challengewhen aboard a 140-foot boat for threeweeks at a time. the crew members eatall their meals in the galley, and althougha deck hand’s job has a lot of exercisebuilt in, a captain or a pilot’s does not.
Keegan plies the Cumberland . Opposite page: Mark Burkhart and Roberts in the wheelhouse.
y of tattoos—including a skull on his left elbow, a spider web on his right elbow,
licking up both arms, and his last name spelled out in large block letters on his left arm,
which has more ink than the average copy of the Tennessean.
the quest for a healthy lifestyle can be achallenge.
Ingram barge provides exerciseequipment, either a treadmill or ellipti-cal machine, for all boats. the DayaniCenter provides exercise prescriptionsfor all Ingram barge associates whorequest one. additionally, the boat engi-neers and cooks have now been addedto the Partners in towboat wellness pro-gram, the theory being that by increas-
ing the awareness of personal health ofthe captain and pilot, along with theengineers and cooks, that all membersof the crew have a chance of improvingthe overall health of all the maritimepersonnel. last year roberts solicitedand collected favorite recipes from thecooks and Dayani Center dietitians, thentook those recipes and, with substitu-tions, made them heart healthy.
the cook on the Keegan, and the only
female in the crew, is barbara Durbin, aformer restaurant owner who has beenwith Ingram for two years. her galley isso homey that over the sink is a windowthrough which a visitor half expects toglance out and see a back yard withkids, dogs and a swing set, instead ofthe expanse of the Cumberland riverleading to a wooded bank.
Durbin follows the same three weekson, three weeks off pattern as the othercrew members, and provides threemeals a day for the crew of nine. herworkday starts at 4 a.m., although afterbreakfast is over, sometimes she cangrab a quick nap in her quarters.
“I look out that window a lot of daysand I’m thankful for my job,” she says.“this is a lot less stress than havingyour own restaurant.”
“this program is fabulous,” saysbrown, the Ingram hr man. “[Ingram]would be so far behind where we shouldbe without it. and it’s the personal rela-tionships that make the difference.”
by personal relationships, he meansthe dedication of teresa roberts, who is
Barbara Durbin, the Keegan’s cook, is also a participant in the Ingram Barge-Dayani partnership.
Greg Burkhart realized that he had been away for half his children’s lives.
sitting with him at a communal tablesharing a hearty lunch with the group inDurbin’s cozy galley. roberts’ only jobat Dayani is working with Ingram bargeemployees, and her enthusiasm for herwork and for the Ingram barge people is obvious.
Giving people the toolsa few weeks earlier at the Dayani Cen-ter, another participant in the program,tom Montgomery, an 11-year Ingramemployee who is general manager forhuman resources, came from his Padu-cah, Ky., home for his physical atDayani. Many Ingram barge employeeslive in the area around Paducah,because it is a major center for rivershipping, due to its location on or nearfour major rivers: the Mississippi, ohio,tennessee and Cumberland.
but since Ingram barge has employ-ees all over the United States, not all ofthe participants in the Dayani-Ingrampartnership come to vanderbilt for theirphysicals. Five off-site clinics are con-tracted with and participate in Partnersin towboat wellness, all working underroberts’ oversight.
Montgomery says he has a history ofheart problems in his family and elevatedcholesterol and blood pressure, but he is
taking steps to counteract that history.“If you eat a lot of saturated fat food
you’re going to clog up and need heartsurgery,” he says. “I don’t want heartsurgery.”
another Ingram barge captain, JohnNewmann, 54, who works the upper Mis-sissippi and ohio rivers, credits hisDayani physical with catching a majorhealth problem.
“I had a heart problem that ran in myfamily. During my checkup at Dayani Ifound out my heartbeat was irregular.they were on top of it and told me Ineeded a pacemaker,” he says.
Now he says his energy and endur -ance have improved, and he is keen tomaintain those changes. “I’ve increasedthe frequency of my workouts. I’m hittingon all eight cylinders.
“Since I’ve come to work at Ingram,the quality of my life has definitelyimproved. Nurse teresa makes you feellike part of the family. I just can’t sayenough about what she does for us.”
back on the Francis R. Keegan, Markand greg burkhart also say that theDayani program has been helpful to them,although they both admit that health con-cerns continue to be a challenge.
“I’m glad Ingram took the time to set itup for us,” greg says. “I can’t say that I
stick with it, but they give us the tools.teresa sends e-mail tips and reminders.I’ve always had a good experience.”
“at first I was resistant,” Dave says.“but it’s been good. I try to park a littlefarther away when we go to wal-Mart. I try to cut down on red meat. It’s aprocess. as good as teresa has treatedus—that makes a difference, too.”
the next phase of the partnership willbe determining not only the effectivenessof the program and the wellness interven-tions, but to discover the relationship ofhealth to boat safety.
“I have definitely found my passion.It’s challenging, but definitely reward-ing, to walk their health journey withthem,” roberts said. “the relationshipswe’ve developed over the past six yearsare what make it successful. there is areal sense of trust. I love working withthe Ingram barge associates. I consider itan honor, and definitely a pleasure, to betheir partner in towboat wellness. It’sjust the coolest thing!” watching the sunglinting off the water, she has a bigsmile on her face.
“Since I’ve come to work at Ingram, the quality of my life has definitely improved.
Nurse Teresa makes you feel like part of the family.
I just can’t say enough about what she does for us.”
Ingram employee Tom Montgomery takes his treadmill test with Robert Workman, M.D., left, and Zafer Karabulut, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist.
For a slide show of Joe Howell’s “Life on theCumberland” photos go to www.mc.vander-bilt. edu/houseorgan/cumberland.htm
AN
NE
RA
YN
ER
10 HOUSE ORGAN
n though he admits he is not a rich man,Jerry Irons found a way to reach deepinto his pockets and make a donation tothe Shade tree Family Clinic in apprecia-tion of the care he has received there.
the free health clinic, run by vander-bilt medical students, serves the acuteand chronic health needs of uninsuredand underinsured patients in eastNashville. Irons has attended the clinicfor more than a year to treat high bloodpressure.
“I’m not well-off financially, but mostare way worse off than I am. this is atleast some sort of payment for whatthey’ve done for me,” he said.
Irons made monetary gifts totaling$300 along with toys and clothing hisgrandchildren no longer needed.
“after I saw what they do and howgood they are, I just gave them all that I
could,” he said. “the clinic is outstand-ing. I tell everybody, even if I was a multi-millionaire, I would pay them before any-body else.”
Irons is humble about his donation,saying, “It wouldn’t even come near pay-ing for the medication they’ve given me,”but hopes it will help continue the out-standing care of the clinic.
“those are top of the line people. theyare donating their time and go out of theirway to do an excellent job. Most peoplethere don’t have anything, but they treateveryone really good,” he said.
volunteers at the clinic do not expectpayment for their services, but are appre-ciative of Irons’ generosity.
“although we don’t expect anythingin return for the services we provide atShade tree, it is extremely touching andrewarding when someone shows their
appreciation in the way Mr. Irons has. It isespecially meaningful that he felt com-pelled to contribute to the clinic for thecare he has received considering his lim-ited means to do so,” said adam wegner,a second-year medical student and execu-tive director of the clinic.
robert Miller, M.D., assistant profes-sor of Pulmonary Medicine and medicaldirector for the clinic, said most patientsshow their appreciation for what thestudents do, “but there are a few indi-viduals such as Mr. Irons whose appre-ciation is so notable and energizes us todo even more.”
Irons with granddaughter Lexi Carpenter, 4,whose uniform signals her future profession.
Shade Tree patientbelieves in givingBY LESLIE HAST
Jerry Irons at the Shade Tree Clinic with Roy Kiberenge, a Vanderbilt medical student.
JOE
HO
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August 2009 11
n the vanderbilt employees’ CreditUnion has grown up.
During the next year the employee-owned financial organization celebratesthe 50th anniversary of receiving itscharter, and Michael bittle, the creditunion’s director, can’t contain his enthu-siasm for the changes under way.
“after 50 years, it’s like a whole newworld,” he said.
the credit union has since its begin-ning offered savings accounts and con-sumer loans for staff and faculty, but inthe past few months the new serviceshave been coming quickly, including:
• Interest-bearing checking accounts,with no monthly fee, no minimumbalance, unlimited check writing, andthe ability to see images of clearedchecks online
• visa check cards
• online bill paying
• atM access, including a dedicatedvanderbilt Credit Union atM at onehundred oaks, and free use of thePresto! Network of atMs at Publixstores all over the Southeast. thecredit union does not charge a fee foratM use, although networks otherthan Presto! likely will.
• online and telephone account access
• electronic statement option
• home equity lines of credit, whichcan lend up to 90 percent of equity at3 percent or prime minus 1.50 per-cent, whichever is greater. there arealso no closing costs or appraisal fee.
• Credit Union representatives areavailable at one hundred oaks in thevanderbilt valet office every otherFriday, to coincide with vanderbiltMedical Center ’s biweekly paydayfor hourly employees.
when these services are combinedwith the still-available credit union sta-ples such as savings accounts, personalpre-approved lines of credit, and loansfor cars, boats, computers and evenplastic surgery, bittle says that manystaff and faculty can get full financialservices without leaving campus.
“the credit union is one the benefitsof working at vanderbilt. we can now beyour primary financial institution,” bittlesaid. “we can and we want to be. weoffer personal services, lower fees andbetter interest rates. and we still want toknow your name—you are a memberand an owner of the credit union.”
he said that he believes that the ser-vices of the credit union increaseemployee satisfaction and productivity,
and may be one of the reasons that van-derbilt was named one of Fortune maga-zine’s “100 best Places to work.”
“Money and finance are the biggeststress in anyone’s life,” he said. “wehave multiple ways to help alleviate thatstress—and by doing that, we makevanderbilt a better employer. and bynot being stressed, people are betteremployees.”
Membership in the credit union isopen to all full-time and regular part-timestaff and faculty and their immediatefamily members, with a one-time mem-bership fee of 25 cents. the credit unionoffice is on the first floor of the oxfordhouse. Its phone number is 936-0300, andits web site is www.vanderbiltcu.org.
n go for the gold, the annual programdesigned to encourage better healthhabits among staff and faculty, has beenawarded a Shining Star award by thegovernor’s Council on Physical Fitnessand health.
Several leaders of health Plus, van-derbilt’s health Plus employee wellness
program which manages go for thegold, accepted the award last monthfrom gov. Phil bredesen.
among the goals of go for the goldcited in the award application were:
• the program’s high participation rate
• Keeping the low-risk population atlow risk
• Coaching the high-risk population toimproved health
• Minimizing the rise in health-carecosts
the vanderbilt program was one of10 statewide to receive the award.
Credit Union becomes full-service financial institution
Go for the Gold recognized by State
Michael Bittle, d irector o f Vanderbilt Employees’ Cred it Union, says home equity loans areone way the cred it union seeks to be a primary financial institution.
BY WAYNE WOOD
JOE
HO
WEL
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12 HOUSE ORGAN
day we went home. we would get upand work at all the tasks needed tobreak camp: taking down the tent,packing up and picking up. and then,dad would say, with a big smile onhis face because he knew this is whatwe were waiting to hear: “take off.”
and tim and I would get on ourbikes and begin riding down themountain on the winding, downhillroad that, 20-some miles later,emerged into the small town of tellicoPlains. we would meet up, dadwould attach the bikes to the camping
trailer, and home we would go. For the adults, it would have made
a lot more sense for us to hurry backto the city. It was a long day of dri-ving, and there was a lot of work tobe done once we got home to reopenthe house, buy groceries, and gener-ally get the household hummingagain. the most efficient thing wouldhave been to get an early and quickstart. Nothing was less efficient thanallowing a couple of kids 20 miles offree downhill bike riding.
the bike ride from the campsite to
the bottom of the mountain really wasdownhill all the way. a free gift,really, since almost any other bikeride is a zero sum game: every bit ofdownhill you get to coast is balancedby the uphill you have to pedal to getback to where you started. tim and Igot a real rarity in life, the joy withoutthe pain.
and a gift of love. I know that now.
w a t c h i n g t h e w h e e l s c o n t i n u e d
Art requested for Critical Care Tower
artists are being invited to submitworks to be considered for thepermanent collection of the van-derbilt hospital Critical Caretower, which is scheduled to beopened this fall.
Deadline for submission is aug.30, said Donna glassford, directorof Cultural enrichment for vMC.
the Critical Care tower artCommittee will be selecting paint-ings, prints, drawings, mixedmedia and sculpture.
artists wishing to submitworks should e-mail a resumewith attached images of works [email protected] work should be easily identi-fied by artist name, title, medium,dimensions and price.
Portfolios can be submitted to:
Critical Care tower artCultural enrichment1002 oxford houseNashville, tN 37232-4225
Portfolios should be 8.5 inchesby 11 inches, and should have aself-addressed stamped envelopeif the artist wishes it to bereturned.
More information is availablefrom glassford at 936-1234.
n the vanderbilt community survey, theMedical Center’s annual employee satis-faction survey, will be conducted Sept. 8-25. the survey was postponed from thetraditional spring slot in order to avoidthe busy times of annual budgeting andjob performance evaluations and toallow for the selection of a new vendor.
“vanderbilt is committed to hearingfrom our employees through our facultyand staff survey. It’s a critical tool inimproving communication, providingemployees the opportunity to have a sayin how we continue to make vanderbilta great place to work,” said Jeff balser,M.D., vice chancellor for health affairsand dean of the School of Medicine.“the information that comes from thissurvey helps us know what types ofactions are needed to improve satisfac-tion and performance,” balser said.
there is a new vendor for the surveythis year—hr Solutions Inc., a Chicago-based company that conducts opinionsurveys for more than 500 health careorganizations.
the survey’s data—employees willremain anonymous answering the ques-tions—will be available to managersmore quickly under the new vendor. Ini-tial results will be back by oct. 19 andavailable to all managers by Nov. 2.
Pam brown, director of the organiza-tional effectiveness team for vander-bilt’s human resources, said the surveywill give answers about employees’engagement, and is a “great startingpoint for further in-depth discussion.”
“we want to know how our employ-ees feel about the organization’s strategy
and mission, communication within theorganization, and their overall job satis-faction, as well as pay, benefits, trainingand development. once we know that,then we can follow up with dialogue—conversations with employees to knowwhat to do moving forward.”
the simple survey will also be lessrepetitive. reduced from 63 to 57 ques-tions, it will take less time to complete(about 10 minutes) than surveys frompast years. also, previously, employeesresponded to each question twice inorder to provide both a performancescore and an importance score. In thenew survey, only one response isneeded for each question.
Most employees will take the surveyonline, although there will be somepaper copies available for those who donot have regular computer access.
there is also no “not applicable orN/a” option on the list of answers thisyear. If an employee can’t answer aquestion because they haven’t had expe-rience in that area, the answer should beleft blank, brown said. a glossary willbe provided with the survey, helping toclarify any terms in the survey thatmight be confusing.
In 2008, there was a 70 percentresponse rate with 11,123 employeescompleting the survey.
“Since 1999, we have used ouremployee surveys as a process to helpguide us, to help us understand what’simportant about the environment wework in and to make vanderbilt a betterplace to work, “said Marilyn Dubree,executive Chief Nursing officer.
Employee satisfaction survey coming in SeptemberBY NANCY HUMPHREY
To hear a podcast of Watching the Wheels,go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ houseorgan/wtwpod 8_09.mp3
