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Libby Johnson: Hello all, and thanks for joining this week's podcast. My name is Libby Johnson, Director of Learning and Development. And today, I want to talk about the different types of continuing learning options offered through Learning and Development. Some are more like a wallet, while others are more like a loan. Let's get into it.

First off, we have education benefits. Education benefits are a benefit bank that is attached to every caregiver. It accrues and refills with each new fiscal year. A caregiver accrues $500 per year and unused benefits rollover from year to year. It's good to be aware that they cap out at $1,000. So, anything beyond this falls off. So, the message here is use them or lose them. Education benefits can be used for anything that enhances you in your role or contributes to your professional development. However, it cannot be used for licenses and certifications that you are required to maintain as part of your employment. If you're pursuing an education event that results in ,certification pay, that event is not eligible for education benefits. We refer to that as double dipping because a caregiver would be using a benefit to obtain a benefit. For what it's worth, it's a commonly asked question.

Here's an example of education benefits. I work in the Learning and Development field. If I want to attend a conference that enhances my understanding of the role of AI in the human resources field, I can attend that and utilize my education benefits to pay for it in portion or in whole. The conference is not required for my position, but it enhances my professional skillset.

Education benefits can also be utilized for applicable education events, trainings, certification, raw materials or expenses related to pursuing them, such as books as well as approved travel expenses. Education benefits are requested through Workday and require initial approval for HR for eligibility of the caregiver. Then, they go back over to Learning and Development for eligibility of the learning event. They go back to the caregiver supervisor for a final approval. Receipts associated with the learning event and proof of successful completion are required for reimbursement. They should also be provided in a timely manner. And what we mean by that is that it should occur within one month of completion

So next, we have education hours. Education hours are a bank of paid company time in hours that can be used for supporting education or learning events. They accrue at the rate of 24 hours per year for caregivers, but EMS caregivers receive 36 hours. Education hours can be used for any time spent on an approved learning event. They can take the place of regular time in a work week, or they can be paid in addition to regular wages if the hours are happening in addition to your work hours. Education hours are requested through Workday, and they go through the same L&D and supervisor approval process as education benefits. They should be reported in a timely manner after the education event is complete and will typically take a week or two to show on your paycheck. Education hours act like a wallet.

And next, let's talk about tuition assistance. If you're considering a larger educational event, tuition assistance may be right for you. Tuition assistance is a loan you pay back through your employment, and you apply for it the way that you would a loan. Tuition assistance is typically a higher dollar amount associated with a larger educational event that lasts months or even years, and it is a debt that is owed and paid off through a two-year working commitment to SJRMC. You trade your time with the organization as payment towards the cost of your education event. This type of education event does not have to be tied to skills associated with your current position, but the educational institution does need to be accredited. Learning and Development will check for that. A caregiver cannot exceed $10,500 per education event and multiple tuition assistance requests cannot be stacked. One in one out, no overlaps. That's the rule.

Here's an example of tuition assistance. A caregiver wishes to go back to school to complete their associate's degree. The cost of completion will be $4,800, and it will take approximately one and a half years. The caregiver can either pay the cost out of pocket or through separate loans and submit expenses for reimbursement when the degree is complete, or they can apply for SJRMC to pay for the cost upfront before they begin. Either way, the caregiver will be committed to two years of working for SJRMC that begin when their associate's degree is completed.

If the caregiver separates from SJRMC before that time is complete, they will owe the full or prorated amount back to the organization. Tuition assistance is requested through Workday and does require initial learning and development approval along with supervisor as well as senior leadership approval. It also requires a legally binding contract as well as a work commitment.

A last word on tuition assistance. We realize these types of learning goals are often tied to bigger life plans and commitments. If your tuition assistance request is declined, you have our commitment that we will make time to explain why. We want you to be able to understand the process and adjust your plan for success.

So now, let's talk a little bit about ancillary funding. We have three different ways of supporting your educational and learning events. They cover a lot of things, but perhaps not everything. If you have a learning event that doesn't quite rack up with these offerings, I encourage you to reach out to us. SJRMC has a range of scholarships in ancillary funding through community groups. Let us help connect you to them. If your learning and development team wants to support your journey and your goals, whatever they may be. And when you complete a learning event, you'll be invited to our annual education brunch that occurs during hospital week. This brunch is a time where we seek to recognize and celebrate your commitment to learning and share your successes with your peers and your leadership. Your accomplishments matter to us.

One last important note. All of our benefits are based on full-time employment. Halftime caregivers have adjusted benefits that are able to be reviewed in the full education policy within Policytech. Just search Education Benefits and you'll find it. To be eligible for any of these benefits, A caregiver requesting them must be with the organization for six months and be in good standing with no corrective actions on file. This is the very first thing that we check for on any request, whether it's education benefits, education hours, or tuition assistance. Thanks so much for listening, and happy learning.