Helping Healthcare Workers Every Day: Justine Hayashi
Thinking about joining a healthcare staffing agency but unsure how you will get shifts? Carecor proudly serves over 90 healthcare facilities Ontario, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where your opportunities are endless.
We asked some of our staffing coordinators to share what its like behind the scenes. Justine Hayashi shares her insights about teamwork and how she builds strong relationships with our healthcare workers every day.
Q: Did you have a background in healthcare before you started with Carecor?
A: No, not at all. I worked at the racetrack! I knew I had to make a career change, and after some vocational testing I found out that this was something I’d be good at, working with people. I knew I’d be working behind the scenes, which I like, so I jumped in.
Q: Why do you enjoy being a healthcare staffing coordinator?
A: We get to work with some fabulous people. I haven’t met all of the caregivers, but you start to recognize them just from their voices. And of course, you try to get them the best shifts possible. It’s fun working with so many people from different type of backgrounds. A lot of them are still in school, and they’re all bettering themselves in some way.
Q: Why is your job important to the Carecor healthcare workers?
A: We get to know them personally — who can travel, who has a car, and who can drop things at a moment’s notice! We know if they have children or other commitments at home, so we find out who we can call for what type of shifts — and sometimes on very short notice. The hospitals get to really know the workers and they’ll ask for them by name. I know their preferences, and that helps when it comes to designing the work schedule. They appreciate that personal touch for sure.
We have certain caregivers who are waiting in the wings; they’re on what we call reserve, which means they’re ready to go at a moment’s notice at certain hospitals. So, I’ll email the hospitals before I leave and copy the other staffing coordinators. The hospitals know that these are the people they can reach out to right away. It’s a lot of collaboration.
Q: Do you feel like you’re building relationships with the healthcare workers?
A: Yes, definitely. For example, if the staff tells us that they’re having difficulty with certain patients — maybe someone’s giving the health care worker a hard time — I’ll find someone who might be a better match for that patient. I know which workers will travel downtown and which ones will travel to Scarborough. Some of the workers don’t like to travel that far, so there’s a lot of juggling when you get a shift in. The more you get to know the workers, the better.
Q: Is there a staffing situation with a caregiver that you’re especially proud of, a story you could share?
A: Sometimes we’ll get an email saying that a particular staff member was just fabulous on a unit, and of course we feel great because we helped place them there. I’ll call the worker and tell them they need to print out the email and save it! Sometimes a worker will say that they can’t come in because their child is ill, and if you can help cover those last-minute emergencies, it’s huge. If they can’t show up and I can cover that shift, that’s definitely a win.
Q: When did you come home from work bursting with stories and feeling enthusiastic and excited? What was it about?
A: It happens a lot. Whether it’s someone thanking you personally or you take a day off and then you come back and a worker will ask where you were yesterday. Maybe it’s that the nurses are nice or just all the juggling and talking to people, which I love.
Q: What does your best day at work look like for you?
A: Mostly it’s when you’ve worked hard and successfully met their needs, like when you can match the perfect PSW with a family and it all works out. The family loves them and they love the family and it’s such a great feeling. This is an industry that people go into because they want to help or nurture in some way. It’s nice to know you can do something like that in your career.