HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA), one of the nation's leading healthcare providers, today announced that it has been recognized on the 2021 LinkedIn Top Companies ranking, an annual guide that identifies the best places for professionals to grow their careers and develop skills. The ranking acknowledges organizations for investing in employee success, career development, and equity and inclusion.
"Since day one of the pandemic, our top priority has been to protect our colleagues - to keep them safe and keep them employed - so they can best care for our patients," said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. "The past year has brought tremendous challenges, especially for those working in the healthcare industry, and we are grateful to be recognized as a Top Company by LinkedIn for our investment in our people. More importantly, we are honored to support our 275,000 colleagues who continue to show up to serve their communities throughout this public health crisis."
As cited by LinkedIn, at a time when hundreds of hospitals and healthcare systems were laying off or furloughing colleagues, HCA Healthcare implemented a special pandemic pay program that benefited more than 127,000 colleagues and guaranteed that colleagues who could not be redeployed to other facilities would continue to receive 70% of their base pay.
The methodology of LinkedIn's Top Companies list is built on research around what it means to build a great career, matched to exclusive LinkedIn data. There are seven key pillars on which HCA Healthcare was ranked, including ability to advance; skills growth; company stability; external opportunity; company affinity; gender diversity and educational background.
The designation recognizes the work HCA Healthcare has done during the COVID-19 pandemic to support its colleagues, including:
- Early in the pandemic, HCA Healthcare made the decision not to lay off any full-time or part-time colleagues.
- In response to the stay-at-home mandates in different states, HCA Healthcare expanded its work-from-home (WFH) practices for nonclinical colleagues to help ensure their safety in the face of COVID-19. Approximately 40,000 colleagues were supported per day via Healthcare's secure network.
- In addition to the pandemic pay program, HCA Healthcare also gave 100% base pay to those who needed to be quarantined and provided hotels for caregivers who preferred not to go home after treating COVID-19 patients. More than $200 million was spent to support colleagues with quarantine and pandemic pay through December 2020.
"We are delighted to be recognized by LinkedIn for this prestigious designation as a Top Company, highlighting our emphasis on career growth and opportunities, diversity and inclusion, and supporting our colleagues while addressing the tough challenges of 2020," said Jennifer Berres, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of HCA Healthcare.
Opportunities for growth and development were also included in LinkedIn's ranking methodology. HCA Healthcare is proud to be a significant provider of clinical and medical education and is the largest sponsor of graduate medical education programs in the United States. Additional colleague education benefits include:
- Tuition Reimbursement: colleagues can receive up to $5,250 in tax-free reimbursement each year for eligible higher education expenses.
- Certification Assistance: HCA Healthcare's certifications support program pays testing fees and offers online prep assistance for select advanced clinical certifications. Colleagues also receive bonuses for achieving nationally recognized certifications beyond their current position.
- Scholarships for Dependents: The HCA Healthcare Scholars Program awards annual scholarships of up to $5,000 to eligible dependent children for higher education expenses.
- Student Loan Assistance: The program provides a monthly benefit of $100 for eligible full-time colleagues and $50 for eligible part-time colleagues.
- Galen College of Nursing: The HCA Healthcare-Galen grant significantly reduces tuition costs for the Online RN to BSN and two Online MSN options of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership, and Nursing Education.
Additionally, HCA Healthcare was recently named a World's Most Ethical Company by Ethisphere for the eleventh time for understanding the importance of leading, making values-based decisions, and its overall commitment to integrity.
HCA Healthcare continues to deliver on its promise of fostering a culture of diversity and belief that excellence in healthcare starts with a foundation of inclusion, compassion and respect, exemplified in recent diversity and inclusion efforts, including its award-winning BRAVE Conversations program, which provides colleagues an opportunity to discuss complex topics in a safe and respectful setting. HCA Healthcare also announced a $10 million investment over the next three years in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).