An Interview
with: PeaceHealth St John Medical Center
Q. Can
you tell us more about your organization?
In southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, PeaceHealth's community of healthcare-professionals base includes St. John Medical Center — a 193-bed acute-care hospital and Level III Trauma Center, and the PeaceHealth Medical Group — a group of primary-care and specialist physicians with clinics in Cathlamet, Ocean Park, Longview, and Woodland, Washington; and Astoria, Oregon.
PeaceHealth was named one of the 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine in 1999.
Q.What types of specialty
services does your organization provide?..
- A Child's Place
- Behavioral Health
- Cancer Care
- Children’s Health Care
- Community Education
- Dialysis
- Emergency Services
- Parish Nurse Program
- PeaceHealth Medical Group
- Rehabilitation Services
- Senior Health
- Sleep Disorders/Epilepsy Monitoring
- Small Wonders
- Spiritual Care and Counseling
- Surgical Services
- Volunteer Services
- Workplace Wellness
St. John Medical Center’s new linear accelerator, used to provide radiation, has features not available to cancer patients in any other community hospital in the Northwest. The hospital’s new stereotactic breast biopsy unit allows physicians to pinpoint the exact location of a lesion and extract tissue samples with a single needle, resulting in minimal scarring and much lower cost compared with open excisional biopsy in surgery.
St. John’s Parish Nurse Program helps extend PeaceHealth’s healing ministry in the Longview, Washington, area. The hospital’s parish nurse coordinator speaks to community and church groups on spirituality, faith, and healing in the context of modern health care, and she provides training and consultation to pastors, parish nurses, and health ministries of any denomination, helping them start and maintain congregational health programs
Q.Describe any future
expansion plans, added services or new developments for your facility?
We just broke ground on a new cancer center. It will be called the Lower Columbia Cancer Center. The center will house not only a treatment center, but also a resource library for patients and families, and a physician center. Connectivity will be provided to the radiation oncology department so that patients have easy access to their therapies.
Another new development for our organization is the new Women's Health Pavilion. The Women’s Health Pavilion will be a health center focusing on the special needs of women. An 11,000 square foot building will be constructed and will house a screening center, a life center and an education center and will be located adjacent to St. John Medical Center. It will serve as a comprehensive resource for women’s health by combining specially trained staff serving women in a centralized and comprehensive program of care. It will increase access to treatment, prevention and information in a sensitive and caring environment. The goal of the Pavilion is to improve the health and wellness of the nearly 100,000 women residing in the Lower Columbia Region.
Q. What
makes working in your organization different from working for other employers?
One of the things we really talk about here is our mission: To carry on the healing mission of Jesus Christ by promoting personal and commuity health, relieving pain and suffering, and treating each person in a loving and caring way. I think this is reflected throughout the facilty, and we stress providing good customer service to show the patient that we really care about them as a person--they are not just a number when they come here for their health care!
We’ve become nationally recognized for both technical excellence and compassionate care. If you’re looking for a career in health care that engages your mind as well as your heart, we encourage you to apply at PeaceHealth.
Q.Can you explain the
career opportunities available for new graduates in your organization?
We hire new graduates into an entry level area. Generally speaking for nursing positions, new graduates are hired into the medical surgical unit or cardiology. The new graduate works on one one with a preceptor for their orientation period which generally lasts about 4 weeks, but may depend upon the individual and clinical area.
Q. What
can a candidate expect during their interview process?
Initial applications are taken by the Human Resource department, and then generally a phone interview is scheduled with the hiring manager. If all goes well, and there is interest on both sides, then an on-site visit is scheduled for a follow up interview. Applicants will be provided with a tour of the hospital, and area.
Q.What are some common
mistakes candidates make when applying for jobs with your facility?
I'm not sure if I see a lot of mistakes made, but one aspect that can be addressed is to let applicants know that a stable work history makes a strong impression during the interview process. If a candidate has many jobs in a short period of time, it may lead us to believe that they won't stay with us very long either. Generally speaking, it's helpful for applicants to have at least a year in previous positions, (longer is better obviously), but those candidates with a stable work history may have an advantage over those who have job hopped a lot.
Q. Describe
the employee compensation and benefit packages available at your organization.
Q.Most facilities stress
only the positive aspects of working for their organization. What are some
of the challenges faced by new employees and even experienced personnel?
Our community is a smaller community, so I think that if someone is used to a very large metropolitan area, that relocating to a smaller area might involve some adjustment. On the other hand, our area is very popular with those who like the smaller, more personalized feel of the Longview community, and it is a great area for families.
Q. What
is the best way for a candidate to apply for a job with your facility?
If provided,
please follow the link/s below to access employment opportunities
at PeaceHealth St John Medical Center. If employment opportunity information is not available
at this time, you are advised to contact the facility's Human Resource
Department for more information.
To
help you get a better picture of the community surrounding PeaceHealth St John Medical Center, you may also
want to check out any Related Links (Part IV), below, for further community, business and hospital information.
Community
Highlights
Easy access to higher education: Lower Columbia College in Longview, WA.; Centralia Community College in Centralia, WA.; Clark College and a branch campus of Washington State University in Vancouver, WA.; and Clatsop Community College in Astoria, OR.
Located on the confluence of three rivers with a backdrop of green forests and white mountains, numerous opportunities for year-round recreation.
Small town charm combined with high quality of life make Longview an outstanding choice for many businesses. Small businesses and international corporations are located here.
A strong emphasis is on education, families, business development, natural resources and quality of life
Charming and modern: tree lined residential streets, contemporary homes, and modern shopping combine to make Longview an attractive place to live and work
Additional
Thoughts About The Community
The aesthetic quality of rivers, mountains and forests offer abundant outdoor activities. There are over 400 acres of public parks, with jogging and bicycle paths, playgrounds and picnic areas. Tennis is available on 14 outdoor courts and there are two public golf courses in addition to a private course. Rivers offer outstanding salmon and steelhead fishing, the Cascade Mountains provide year-round sports enthusiasts with skiing, hiking, fishing and hunting, and numerous lakes and rivers provide excellent boating for sail and powerboat enthusiasts.
Source: Chamber of Commerce
