Photo By Rebecca Perron | 181212-N-GM597-003 Portsmouth, Va. (Dec. 12, 2018) Lt. Cmdr. Karen Eifert, who is...... read more read more
Service members who are preparing to transition from the military have an opportunity to participate in the Department of Defense Skillbridge Program, an initiative that connects them with organizations that offer industry training or internships that have a high probability of employment.
The goal is to prepare service members for entry into a career field once they leave the service. Service members have the option of applying for training and internships in pre-approved programs, or seeking out their own opportunity, which is how the program came to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP).
Lt. Cmdr. Karen Eifert, a public affairs officer who will be retiring in 2019, is interested in becoming a health systems specialist (HSS) and began researching an internship that fit the Skillbridge criteria. Eifert’s search ultimately put her in contact with Bill Douglas, the clinic manager of NMCP’s Pain Management Clinic, who developed an HSS internship for Eifert.
“Prior to joining the Navy, I was a registered nurse and have always been interested in promoting health,” Eifert said. “Now that I am retiring, I have this opportunity to do an internship to learn something new through the Skillbridge program. It’s is a wonderful opportunity that the military is giving to service members, and this training is allowing me to come full circle with my capabilities.”
Douglas was eager to develop the internship as the clinic has hosted nurse interns previously and is currently working to add a full-time HSS position to the clinic’s staff.
According to Douglas, an HSS is essentially a health care business manager and would be involved in all business aspects, including tracking productivity and increasing efficiency, the hiring process, new employees, staffing changes and payroll, and supply and equipment ordering strategies.
“She is a great first person to bring the Skillbridge program to NMCP, and I would love to welcome others,” Douglas said. “We have oriented her into our two clinical spaces like we would any new employee, and have developed opportunities for her to train with staff on the various roles of an HSS. Once a week, she meets with me to debrief me on what she has done for the week, and I sign that off for her to take back to her command.”
As Eifert and her command completed all of the ground work to bring the internship opportunity to fruition, the DoD instruction allows the command to set some of the criteria for participation. Her command is requiring submission of this weekly journal that tracks the training she is completing.
“I can see where this program is beneficial for the service member and for NMCP,” Douglas said. “I would hope that other clinic managers here would consider developing an internship opportunity through Skillbridge.”
According to Amanda Slosson, the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic regional transition assistance program coordinator, organizations that are interested in establishing Skillbridge internships can be connected with the Hire Vets Now Fellowship Program. The fellowship trains and educates employers within Virginia about the Skillbridge initiative.
“If they can put a training outline together and submit it, then (agencies within) the Commonwealth can pre-vet it for Skillbridge, and then the employer can get mass promotion of their Skillbridge-compliant internship,” Slosson said. “For organizations like NMCP who would like to develop internships, staff can connect with the HVN fellowship program and become an official part of the Skillbridge program vice having to do stand-alone internship opportunities.”
For organizations that have existing training programs or internships, Slosson works with them to ensure their program meets the criteria. She also works with Hampton Roads area Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC) and command career counselors to ensure that service members are aware of the program and training opportunities.
“Some programs have established classes with a certain number of seats in the class,” Slosson said. “When a service member receives command permission to participate, they are then interviewed and screened by that program and that is when selection is determined. These are programs that have been vetted by Navy Region Mid-Atlantic to ensure that all credentials and licensing are legitimate, and there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place.
“Some programs are conducted on installations, while others are at community locations,” Slosson continued. “The region has 10 formal programs that have group start dates that operate off the formal agreement. Those 10 programs are promoted during the Transition GPS (TGPS) program. Representatives from these training programs are onsite during TGPS for the service members to speak with. In addition, during pre-separation counseling, command career counselors can refer service members to Fleet and Family for more information.”
Commands can authorize participation in the program outside of the local area through no-cost permissive Temporary Additional Duty orders, and according to Slosson, ultimately, it is up to the command to allow the service member to participate with consideration of mission and manning.
For more information, visit https://dodskillbridge.com, refer to DoD Instruction 1322.29 and NAVADMIN 222/15, or visit a local FFSC.
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2018 07:43 |
| Story ID: | 303338 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 458 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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