Kettering Health Network adding more jobs at Fort Hamilton Hospital

Kettering Health Network is adding employees at Fort Hamilton Hospital.

Located at 630 Eaton Ave. in Hamilton, the hospital is looking to hire as many as 20 registered nurses for medical surgery and step-down telemetry, according to spokeswoman Elizabeth Long. It also is interested in RNs who are willing to work as float nurses.

Kettering Health Network is a not-for-profit network of eight hospitals, 10 emergency departments, and 120 outpatient facilities serving southwest Ohio. Fort Hamilton Hospital opened in 1929 and joined Kettering Health Network in July 2010.

The network’s hospitals are Fort Hamilton, Kettering, Grandview, Sycamore, Southview, Greene Memorial, Soin and Kettering Behavioral Medicine.

Kettering Health Network employs more than 12,000 people, 966 of which are employed at Fort Hamilton Hospital with an additional 171 in the surrounding clinics that support Fort Hamilton.

We posed several questions to Kevin Spaulding, director of human resources at Fort Hamilton Hospital. Here’s what he said:

Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing Fort Hamilton Hospital/Kettering Health and others in the health care industry and how is Fort Hamilton/Kettering Health uniquely positioned to address that challenge?

A: “Given the complex and competitive industry in which we operate, Fort Hamilton Hospital and Kettering Health Network work intentionally each day to drive an effective culture which helps ensure we can recruit and retain the best team members in the communities we serve. While each community is unique, we are intentional about scaling our onboarding and orientation process to meet the needs of over 100 new employees on any given week across our Network. Since our size is growing, we have put a focus on maintaining strong organizational culture in conjunction with that growth.”

Q: What’s the most prevalent roadblock you’ve encounter when it comes to hiring and what can job seekers do to remedy that situation?

A: “Finding candidates that bring the work experience needed to be successful in a hospital setting can be challenging. There is a shortage across the nation of experienced registered nurses, and as a result, Kettering Health Network has put emphasis on how we grow and train our teams through education and experiences. Job seekers can put themselves in a better position by learning which skills, training and experiences are preferred in positions they are interested in and trying to match their own skill set to those. Above all we are looking for candidates that are mission-minded and love making a positive impact in others’ lives.”

Q: What’s the vision for Fort Hamilton Hospital’s growth, both jobs and otherwise, for the next five years?

A: “Fort Hamilton Hospital is committed to expanding services and access points to be better positioned to deliver quality care to the communities we serve. As we expand services and sites, we are very focused on aligning and partnering with physicians and team members to build upon the 90-year legacy of care that our institution has extended to the greater Hamilton community.”

Q: Some job seekers are concerned about the limits of advancement within a company. To what degree can Fort Hamilton/Kettering Health employees advance from entry-level roles to become department managers and team leaders?

A: “Kettering Health Network believes in growing our employees through education and mentorship. We are fortunate to have a great tuition assistance program and a robust Leadership Development Institute that can help emerging leaders develop the skills they need to grow in our organization.”

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