The newest graduates of YNHHS’ School At Work program celebrated with their managers after a ceremony at Yale New Haven Hospital’s York Street Campus. Previously offered only at YNHH, the program was expanded this year to include employees from other delivery networks.
On July 25, the latest graduates of Yale New Haven Health’s School At Work (SAW) program collected their certificates amid cheers from family members, friends and health system leaders and staff.
There was a lot to cheer about. The largest class in at least 15 years had successfully completed the seven-month accelerated learning program for employees without a college degree who want to continue their education or improve their skills. This was also the first year SAW was expanded from Yale New Haven Hospital to employees throughout the health system, with graduates from Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial and Yale New Haven hospitals and the Health Services Corp.
YNHHS’ Institute for Excellence (IFE) conducts SAW, which is free to employees. Offered both virtually and in-person, classes cover math, writing, medical terminology, patient safety, resume-writing, interviewing and other topics.
“The accelerated program can be intense,” said graduate Bernetta Scott, a satellite document imaging tech with Health Information Management. “But I truly enjoyed everything about it.”
She and Cynthia Lowman, IFE career counselor and SAW instructor, said they appreciated the diversity of this year’s class, which included employees with different educational backgrounds who work in a variety of roles and departments throughout the health system.
Graduate Cynthia Linkemann, a lead ITS communications associate with YNHHS Operator Services, said she hasn’t been in school recently, but was surprised at how much she remembered – and how much she learned.
“What I learned is that I’m capable of many things,” she said.
Graduate Lisa Kaplan, revenue cycle registration coordinator, L+M Patient Financial and Access Services, said she had always wanted to return to school to earn her associate’s degree, but got sidetracked by other priorities. She summed up the spirit of the happy occasion by telling fellow graduates, “I am so proud of every one of you and of myself.”
