Arkansas Children’s
Best Hospital, Finalist: Best Company to Work for (>250)
Growth doesn’t occur without nurturing, and that’s exactly what the staff at Arkansas Children’s has done to stand out as a beacon for the hospital’s patients. The ongoing enrichment efforts have aided the hospital in being voted Best Hospital and a finalist for Best Company to Work For (>250) by the readers of the Arkansas DemocratGazette in this year’s Best of the Best readers’ poll. When it comes to the success of the hospital, George Cobb, human-resources business partner and recruiter, said it’s all because of the employees. “I think what sets us apart from other hospitals is the culture of our employees — the way we treat each other, our patients and our families,” Cobb said. “A lot of people who come here from other health care places say it’s so different here. It is different — it’s a very caring atmosphere.” Cobb added that for the employees who get up and go to work at Children’s every day, it’s not work at all, but a passion. The employees continue to champion the children. The company and its employees truly take its mission, “We champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow,” to heart, and that is evident through the hospital’s recent achievement. This year, Arkansas Children’s has achieved Magnet Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which puts Arkansas Children’s among the elite 6 percent of hospitals worldwide that have earned Magnet status. “This was our first year to achieve Magnet status,” Cobb said. “It’s a prideful thing to be able to say you’re a Magnet hospital. It means your standard of safety and patient care is above what is expected. It’s a hard, hard accomplishment to get.” The hospital is also growing in the software area as well, as the company begins the process of transferring to a program called Epic. The change the program will facilitate will be huge, George said. “We’ve been wanting this for a long time, and it’ll be a great thing,” he added. “Although it’s just a software system, I think it’ll bring patient satisfaction scores up because we’ll be able to access things a lot quicker and more thoroughly.” After years in the making, Arkansas Children’s will open Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale in January, which will create approximately 300 positions. The most important aspect about the new facility is making sure the culture is there on day 1, George said. “When we open the doors on the first day, it has to be that ACH culture. The people up there don’t want a hospital — they want an ACH.”