By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

CHI Saint Joseph Health, a healthcare provider in Kentucky whose employees have developed a close relationship with many students and faculty in the College of Health Sciences’ Clinical Leadership and Management program, was named the University’s Employer of the Year in a ceremony last week.

One of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth, CHI Saint Joseph Health consists of 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 Kentucky counties.

With the active leadership and support of Marty Keith, Vice President of Human Resource Operations, CHI Saint Joseph Health has engaged with the Clinical Leadership and Management program by hosting practicum students, offering summer internships and recently hiring three alumni into full-time roles within the organization.

Held in the Harris Ballroom at the UK Student Center on April 4, the annual awards event serves to recognize the extraordinary efforts and outstanding investment that employers make in UK students through career opportunities, events and collaborations.

“CHI Saint Joseph Health provides outstanding experiential learning and employment opportunities for students and graduates of the Clinical Leadership and Management program,” said Karen Clancy, PhD, MBA, BHS, and director of the CLM program. “It’s exciting for our students to gain these professional skills and experiences.”

However, the organization’s involvement goes beyond hiring and internships.

Several CHI Saint Joseph Health employees, who are also CLM alumni, volunteer annually to be interviewed about their jobs by current students enrolled in CLM 120, Careers in Clinical Leadership & Management. The students conduct an informational interview and then create a “career profile” about the educational and career journey of the person. The project contributes to the career programming of all the students in the class because they share the career profiles with one another.

And each year in the senior Capstone class, CHI Saint Joseph Health employees serve as guest speakers for seminar sessions to help prepare students for post-graduation life, while representatives annually participate in the “Speed Dating” event to interview current students for internships.

Officials have also served on the CLM advisory board, which meets twice a year, and provides professional guidance and insight into program needs and issues. 

It all adds up to why the organization deserved the award, faculty, students and alumni say.

“I would love to give my support for CHI Saint Joseph Health for UK’s Employer of The Year nomination,” said intern Penelope Pierson. “One of the most important aspects that can make or break an employee’s desire to work comes down to workplace culture, of which I have never experienced one as loving as Saint Joe …. From my first day working, I was met with kind hands walking me through every step of each problem, and I began to meet people who I could build connections with moving forward.”

Intern Emmanuel Dhemby agreed, saying the environment was “nothing short of amazing.”

He noted several factors that contributed to this feeling, and described how leadership:

• Allowed him to make immediate contributions
• Were “open and welcoming” to new ideas
• Allowed for “space for freedom”

Those who have permanent employment shared similar comments.

“I have been with CHI Saint Joseph Health since December 2022 and have served in two different roles throughout this time,” said CLM alumna (2023) and current CHI Saint Joseph Health employee Holly Ratliff. “Everyone goes out of their way to make sure you have everything you need to be successful. Everyone here has let me experience situations that I otherwise would not have seen throughout school to be able to learn and grow through …. This environment is hard to find anywhere else.”

Tommy Hutchins, a CLM alumnus (2023) and current CHI Saint Joseph Health employee, said that in working everyday with hospital presidents, strategy leadership, managers and surgeons, his job could seem daunting — but through orientations and communication, the staff have made it a seamless transition.

“One (other) component that I love about CHI Saint Joseph Health is that I get to interact with so many of my past undergraduate peers, many of whom graduated from the Clinical Leadership and Management program, specifically,” he said. “Having a connected team working towards the same goal is of utmost importance at CHI, and that connectivity creates welcoming environments where creativity and collaboration may flourish.”

For Clark Ramey, another alumnus (2023) and current CHI Saint Joseph Health employee, the testimonial was simple.

“I can’t imagine working anywhere else,” he said. “Each person that I work with on a daily basis embodies CHI Saint Joseph Health’s motto of ‘Human Kindness’ as they have been patient and loving to a kid that is fresh out of college and is still learning the ins and outs of the hospital.”

Congratulations to everyone at CHI Saint Joseph Health.