Investing in Our Team
Here, professional development is different.
Team members are the heart and soul of Patient Care Services at Children’ s Hospital Colorado. The hospital’ s mission to improve the health of children is made possible by the incredible people who spend each day and night caring for kids, and it is a priority across the system of care to ensure team members are supported and enabled to achieve their full potential.
Children’ s Colorado also recognizes that our impact expands beyond our walls, and creating the best outcomes for kids means pulling together to ensure partners across our communities have the tools and resources they need to care for kids who are counting on us.
From innovative approaches to clinical education to teaching nurses how to share their expertise to help shape public policy in support of child health, Children’ s Colorado creates pathways for personal and professional development and invests in the practice environment. For our team members as well as our patients, the examples gathered here demonstrate the many ways professional growth at Children’ s Colorado is different.
Investing in the next generation: Arapahoe Community College partnership
Children’ s Hospital Colorado’ s unique partnership with Arapahoe Community College( ACC) offers a 24-hour acute care elective rotation for certified nurse aide( CNA) students with the goal of enhancing student exposure to pediatric acute care. This immersive clinical experience serves to supplement students’ classroom learning by exposing them to the specialty and complexities of pediatric care and supporting their transition from theoretical knowledge to practical application.
The student placement program within the Professional Development department also supports diversity in recruitment opportunities for these roles at Children’ s
Colorado. CNA students receive limited exposure to pediatric patients during their academic program, as certification in Colorado solely focuses on clinical training in adult long-term care facilities. As a result, many students enter the workforce unaware of the opportunities that exist for CNAs to work in a pediatric setting, limiting the interest of potential candidates to fill open roles. By increasing awareness of pediatric opportunities among students who will soon be job seekers, this partnership expands the potential of applicants for pediatric clinical assistant( CA) positions at Children’ s Colorado and in our communities.
For the 2023 – 2024 academic year, student perception survey scores showed outstanding feedback from CNA students:
100 % Participation
97 %
Overall satisfaction with overall clinical experience
96 %
Likely to pursue employment with Children’ s Colorado
Multiple students indicated that their experience in the program solidified their decision to pursue a career in healthcare, with one participant stating,“ I know that I want to pursue medicine and work with children, so coming to Children’ s Colorado was really appealing. I also found that I love the values and structure of the hospital.” Several others shared that the clinical rotation experience expanded their understanding of the role, with one noting that their most valuable learning was“ how impactful the CAs are and how big of a difference they make in each child’ s life.”
Since its creation, the program has successfully hosted 175 CNA students across multiple inpatient units at Children’ s Hospital Colorado’ s Anschutz Medical Campus, and nearly one-third of these students have gone on to become clinical assistant team members.
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2024 PCS Annual Report