CMZ introduces a new CSR: the CMZ S.T.E.P.H. Program @ 2016

This 2016, Ciudad Medical Zamboanga is introducing a new Corporate Social Responsibility program, the CMZ S.T.E.P.H. Program.

S.T.E.P.H. stands for Student Tour for Exposure to Professions in Healthcare which is a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program under Human Resource with Ms. Juvee Calica, HR Manager as lead.

THE NEED OR OPPORTUNITY.
We have had several human resource issues discussed and among them were:

1) In the past few years, there has been a quick turnover of workforce in the hospital, mainly to work opportunities abroad. CMZ's nurse attrition rate for 2013 was 5% but rose to 14% and 16% in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
2)  Many of the applicants appear to have no idea on the work that they are applying for, with the generic phrase, "for any available position".
3)  Survey of CMZ with three public school Grade 9-10 students show that about 70% of students have no idea yet what course they want to get into. Of the 30%, who have an idea, 44% prefers the education sector and 25% prefers the field of science 
4) Not all schools have the capability of a comprehensive career guidance program for their students. 
   a) A complete career guidance program costs more than a thousand pesos and in private schools, shouldered by the student. This may be utilized by private schools but more likely, difficult for public school students.
     b) there are limited registered guidance counsellors throughout the country 

5)  With the new K to 12 curriculum, there is also a change in the high school system with students choosing the career track they want to get into such as STEM (Science, Technology and Engineering), ABM (Accounting, Business and Management) and GAS (General Academic Strand).

In a unified guideline and concept paper by DOLE, DepEd, DOST, CHEd, TESDA and PRC known as the Career Guidance Advocacy Program Plan for 2013-2016, possible issues that may be encountered as implementation challenges are as follows:
1) Limited number of registered guidance counselors, members of established Network of Guidance Counselors and Career Advocates;
2) Lack of strategic framework and communications plan for career advocacy;
3) Limited print and non-print Labor Market Information materials, with limited access by the public and other consumers of information;
4) Limited and uncoordinated government programs on career guidance; and
5) Insufficient financial and manpower resources to promote career advocacy.
The network however also has come up with an action plan to ensure the implementation of this government program.

CMZ was already conceptualizing the program where we wanted to help students in their career choice through a hospital tour where students are exposed to the different work possibilities. The students see the personnel in their workplace, the work they do, the machines they work with and the chance to talk to the staff about their jobs. This Program is geared to both private and public schools.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

General Objectives:
1.  To assist Grade 10 students in their career decision through exposure to professions within a healthcare organization.
2.  Long Term: To improve applications within healthcare organizations.

Specific Objectives:
1.  To introduce to students the different professions within the healthcare organization.
2. To expose the students to the different areas and workforce within the healthcare institution.
3. To broaden the students’ understanding of the personnel within the healthcare institution through interaction with workforce.
4. To expose students on healthcare-related advocacies specifically, Breast Cancer Awareness and Hand Wasshing.

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION:
There were already meetings with the Core group starting last quarter of 2015, with the informal survey done at this time.

This was followed by a meeting of the CMZ Executive Committee with the middle managers last January 26, 2016 about the Program and for their inputs on how to create an interesting and fruitful program for students.

The core group already had feedback from the education sector prior to meeting with the middle managers so the outline of the program was already in place for them to comment upon.

January 21, 2016 and February 16, 2016. However, CMZ initially wanted to understand more about the K to 12 program and how the exposure tour would fit in the new school system and approached the Ateneo De Zamboanga High School Guidance office for enlightenment.

Guidance Office stalwarts, Mr. Santiago Araneta and Ms. Aimee Valmonte with CMZ group

From our discussion, the best set of participants would be Grade 10 students, just before they choose their track for Senior High School, although, this is also beneficial for Senior High School students as they may have a more concrete plan for college. 

One of the our considerations for the choice of Grade 10 was that the track chosen by students for Senior High would already be geared for College and an earlier exposure may lessen chance for shifting of courses. 

February 6, 2016. Hardam Furigay Colleges in Basilan requested for a study tour which CMZ gladly obliged to, also to have the feel of the flow of the study tour. 

The experience with the Hardam Furigay students further strengthened CMZ to push through with the STEPH program as the students were so ecstatic and grateful for the exposure and made them more excited in the healthcare courses they are now in. 

February 16, 2016. We were also able to talk to a principal from a public school, Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School, learned more about the K to 12 Program and also for the invitation and DPLMHS turned out to be our first recipient of this CSR program.

CMZ HR Manager, Ms. Juvee Calica, with the very pro-active Dr. Socorro Canaya, DPLMHS principal and incidentally, Region IX's best principal for 2015 and with CMZ Medical Director, Dr. Filipinas Rojo and Ms. Catherine Baginda.

February 18, 2016. We also visited Sr. Virginia Benito, St. Joseph School principal who accommodated us and became the first recipient for the private schools.

The main objective of this STEPH Program is to assist junior and senior high school students, preferably Grade 10 students in their career choice through their direct exposure to the hospital setting, which will broaden their knowledge that work available in hospitals are not limited to doctors and nurses but also to technology-related as well as administrative and finance type of jobs. 

This will show them a glimpse of the reality of work in hospitals as well as give them the chance to interact with the workforce. The students are also exposed to CMZ's corporate social responsibility and healthcare advocacies particularly on breast cancer awareness and hand washing for the community. 

The orientation, experiential hospital tour and the interaction with personnel could hopefully add to the factors for the students' informed career decision. 

On the side of CMZ, we hope that we can encourage more students to enter the healthcare organizations to help augment the turnover of staff, with workforce also given the opportunity to work abroad.

From the usual career talks held in schools, CMZ levels up as career advocates and offers the CMZ S.T.E.P.H. Program as an innovative and progressive corporate social responsibility program to help guide junior and senior high school students in their career choice, hopefully, to augment the schools' efforts for career guidance, if present.

The CMZ S.T.E.P.H. Program will start the end of this schoolyear 2015-2016 with two STEPH initiatives: 
1) Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School for the public school sector  ~~ March 7, 2016
2) St. Joseph School for the private school sector ~~ March 10, 2016.

Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School Grade 10

St. Joseph School Grade 10

CMZ will be sending invitations to public and private junior and senior high schools in Zamboanga City for the next schoolyear but would be most willing to prioritize the STEPH Program to schools that signify their interest.

We look forward to having partnerships with more Zamboanga City schools in the next schoolyear from June 2016 to March 2017, as Ciudad Medical Zamboanga hopes to be instrumental in the guiding the youth of Zamboanga City towards informed career decision and promotion of health advocacies.