Having previously worked in schools as an office worker and in the classroom, new Monument Health Patient Access Specialist Brenda Trandahl didn’t have experience in the health care industry, but it was always something she’d been curious about.
So when she heard there was a weekly Career Connections Tuesdays hiring event for Monument Health coming up, she made sure to get there early. But she didn’t expect that she’d be interviewed for a job, right there, on the spot. “They got my information, and talked to me about what type of job I was interested in. And then told me that somebody would be right with me for an interview,” Brenda says.
“If you have somebody that’s on your schedule to interview a week from now, a lot can happen. They could get another job offer,” says Shana Theilmann, Brenda’s Supervisor in Admissions Services at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital. “So it’s really nice to be able to go to these hiring events, then you get to talk to them and make your decision. They can get a job offer usually by the next day, instead of waiting a week and doing that process.”
Between the time Brenda walked through the doors at the hiring event and her first day of work, just a mere week and a half had passed.
Rory Sturm, another of Brenda’s Supervisors, says medical experience is preferred, but is absolutely not a necessity. “Just a really good attitude and a willingness to learn is what we need,” he explains.
Since the weekly hiring events began in December 2023, 75 job offers have been extended. Attendees get a swag bag and maybe a chance to interview for more than one job. In fact, Brenda was interviewed for three different positions at Monument Health on the same day.
New hires can expect to further their careers at Monument Health. “Once the employee gets exposure to the hospital environment, they might want to try something else, like coding or billing. And then we see how we can help them grow in that aspect,” says Shana.
Career Connection Tuesdays are held every Tuesday from 2:00-4:00 PM at the Rapid City Hospital Turbine location, 1400 Turbine Drive Door 1.
For more, visit: monument.health/events.
Story: Kory Lanphear
Photo: Bob Slocum