Memorial Heroes: Ernest Perez, Nurse Recruiter and Occupational Health Manager
June 25, 2020
What is your official title?
My title is Nurse Recruiter and Occupational Health Manager
How long have you worked here at Memorial Medical Center?
35 years (crazy how time flies!)
How did you come into this position?
I have held various roles at MMC and each new one draws on experiences and relationships of the previous.My path of opportunities has included Laundry attendant to CNA to RN (staff then team leader) to Administrator on Duty to Risk Management to employee health & human resources.When I joined the HR team, Memorial continued to expand services and we needed more of a focus on nursing recruitment.I proposed expanding my role to include Nursing recruitment and retention and our administrative team supported the idea.These days my recruitment is not limited to just nursing.
What was your motivation for a career in Healthcare?
Helping others has been important to me since I was young. In high school, as part of the Medical Explorers group, I toured Memorial General Hospital and it was then that I knew I wanted to work in a hospital setting. I have always believed we need to care for and about each other even if we do not work in healthcare.
What is a typical day like for you?
Often my day is dictated more by the needs of our team members more than what might be pre-scheduled on my calendar. The need might be helping someone through a difficult time, handling a work injury or listening to someone decompress after a tough shift. Other times a team member stops in for a quick visit and to show off baby pictures.
How would you describe your role’s responsibilities?
First and foremost is listening to understand the needs of others. Not only do I want to recruit the best candidates, but I also want to retain our talented Team. I see my primary role as taking care of the people to take care of our patients. The most important part of my job is listening.
In what areas do you help patients?
Recruiting and hiring the right people is important to creating strong teams that work well together in delivering safe patient care. I strive to help foster an environment in which everyone, regardless of title, feels safe to speak up about concerns, especially those that impact patient care.
What are some of your interests outside of work?
Our fuzzy family. My husband and I have rescue dogs and cats. They make me smile. ????
What is your favorite part about working for Memorial Medical Center?
Memorial is home and the best part of home is our Memorial family!