Friday, August 29, 2008

Tapping the Power of Peer Mentoring

This is the second in a series of PHI Expert Interviews, which bring
you insights from four senior PHI staff. They’re an impressive group -
among the nation’s leading experts on long-term care’s direct-care
workforce - and collectively they’ve spent decades studying the
challenges facing the workforce and how to address them. We think
you’ll be interested in what they’ve learned.


Peggy Powell is one of the founders of Cooperative Home Care Associates,
the worker-owned home health agency that started PHI, where she served
as director of education. Since joining PHI in 1991, she has worked
with CHCA and other employers to develop strategies for recruiting,
training, supervising, and supporting direct-care staff.


One of those strategies, peer mentoring, is gaining in popularity
– and no wonder. Done right, a peer mentor program helps new
direct-care workers get oriented to the job and the organization,
bolstering their skills and their confidence. It also creates a career
ladder for experienced workers.


And that’s not all, as Peggy has learned.

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