UMass Memorial Health

Meet Karina Gregoire BSN, RN, Health Nurse?Coordinator?for?UMass Memorial Health's?Employee Health Services. "I was drawn into working in healthcare because I wanted to be able to provide care and support to those who were experiencing their most vulnerable moments. My favorite aspect of my job is that I never stop learning! I learn different ways to serve people, how to treat people and their diagnoses, how to use new technological breakthroughs, and the sense of accomplishment I get after every day of work. One of the most memorable moments of my career was being there for a baby’s first breath, and then being there for someone’s last within the same day. To really be able to see full circle, the beauty in both life and death... Seeing both these life-changing events showed me that life is a tapestry of moments, filled with love, joy, challenges, and growth. It’s a journey of discovery, where each moment contributes to the very core of our existence. Death, be it fearful, is a natural part of this journey. It brings closure and peace, which allows us to reflect on the beauty of the life we have lived. Having both life and death, helps remind us of our time and the importance of living life fully and authentically. I love working at UMass Memorial Health because of the diversity! When I'm not working, I can often be seen hiking in the White Mountains." It's so clear you love your role here, Karina, and you truly excel at what you do. Thank you for being a wonderful UMass Memorial caregiver! #MyUMassMemorialMark

November marks Transgender Awareness Week and the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which honors the lives of trans individuals lost to violence, a crisis that disproportionately affects?Queer, Trans, Black and Indigenous People of Color (QTBIPOC)?communities. TDOR, acknowledged annually on November 20, began here in Massachusetts in 1998, following the unsolved murder of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman from Allston. What started as a local vigil has grown into an international movement, with observances in more than 200 cities across 21 countries. Unfortunately, violence against transgender individuals has only risen since TDOR began, with a disproportionate number of violent acts impacting?QTBIPOC?communities. At UMass Memorial Health, we are committed to providing all caregivers with an environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation.?

Appreciate the feature, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association! We are so lucky to be partnered up with Fundación MAPFRE on this awesome initiative.

Are you following our President and CEO, Eric Dickson, MD, on LinkedIn yet?

Join an upcoming hiring event! At UMass Memorial Health, everyone is a caregiver. And we’re looking for caregivers in a variety of roles to join our team! Our talent acquisition team is conducting in-person and virtual interviews in November and December for a wide range of roles. Explore all hiring events here:

November marks a season of gratitude and celebration—and this year, we’re excited to honor National Apprenticeship Week by spotlighting our new Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program! In partnership with Quinsigamond Community College and the SHARE Union, UMass Memorial Health proudly launched Central Massachusetts' first registered apprenticeship program for medical assistants. This earn-and-learn program provides paid, hands-on training and support, empowering our dedicated caregivers to advance into medical assistant roles across our Medical Center and Community Medical Group clinics. With 15 caregivers in our inaugural cohort, we’re thrilled to begin recruiting for the next. This National Apprenticeship Week, we celebrate our hardworking apprentices, the skilled preceptors, committed managers, and visionary leaders who make this program possible!?

When caregivers can speak to patients directly in their native language, the outcomes are better. Nikolaos Kakouros, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at?UMass Memorial Medical Center who received Qualified Bilingual Clinical Caregivers certification in 2020, has witnessed firsthand the profound impact that communicating in a patient's native language can have on their health care experience.

Please join us in congratulating UMass Memorial Cancer Center for being recognized by?Becker's Healthcare?for excellence in oncology. UMass Memorial Health?is honored to be on this list of hospitals and health care systems who garnered national acclaim for advancing cancer care via cutting-edge clinical trials and life-changing research. Read the full list:?https://bit.ly/4hNXSYs

UMass Memorial Health?utilizes its earn-and-learn programs where employees can maintain a position within the system while setting aside time to learn new skills. These programs are offered to critical roles, such as surgical technicians, medical assistants, and computed tomography techs. “We need to tap into candidate pools that we might not have in previous years,” said Urlaub. UMass Memorial Health's Talent Acquisition team meets with students at high schools, vocational programs, and those on associates and bachelor’s degree tracks. “[It’s] really just one long interview. If you give an opportunity to a student, they get to learn, they get comfortable with the unit, they learn about the organization. We want to be able to extend them an offer,” said UMass Memorial Health's?Kaitlyn Urlaub, SHRM-CP. Here's more with?Worcester Business Journal:

Dr. Erik Garcia from UMass Memorial Health is one of our three National Compassionate Caregivers of the Year Award recipients. He has been providing healthcare to the homeless population in Worcester for several decades. "Dr. Garcia embodies compassion and humanism like no one I have seen in my three decades of providing care,” said one colleague.