Renee Simmons

A lot of my success comes from how my parents raised us - our faith and always doing the right thing. I love Trinity so much because we're built on assuming good intentions and always encouraging and supporting communities that are underprivileged. It's about truly caring about people. I understand that sometimes candidates are one paycheck away from losing their home or being able to buy groceries, so I understand each level of the positions and why they need a job. We need to speed up our processes and think about their feelings after they interview. I really try to make sure candidates are aware of everything going on in the process, because that personal touch and genuine care makes all the difference.

One million percent, my biggest cheerleader was Shauna Welch, who was with Trinity Health for so many years. I have never had a better mentor. She would sit me down and talk through the good, the bad, and the ugly - telling me what was good but also how it could have been better. The most important thing she gave me was confidence. When I was in charge of a senior living community with literally 80 CNA openings, I was timid and scared at first. But she told me, 'You can do this. You're the one in charge, you are an expert in your field. You know what you're doing.' She gave me the confidence to talk to administrators of big buildings and hospitals and say, 'This is what I think will work for staffing.' Her advice was to always come with solutions, not problems, and to overcome any obstacle thrown at you. There's always a way to figure things out. I will always value and treasure her advice, and it was a sad day when she left Trinity.

I love this job, and I think one million percent, any career opportunity you have is a stepping stone into where you're going to eventually lead. You will learn something from every position. Just find your passion and love it. I didn't even know I was going to love the healthcare field or be a recruiter - I went to school for education - but I found my passion. Don't leave any job burning bridges. Don't gossip, stay in your own position, and always come up with a solution, not a problem. There are always those people that are just negative, and you need to stay out of anything negative and be that shiny star that people love to be around. Do every job like it's the most important job in the world, even if it's cleaning bathrooms like I used to have to do when staff would call off. Honor every single person in every company, no matter if it's the person that picks up the trash or the person who is the doctor. Everybody has value.

The biggest challenge is definitely that there are so many people who either dropped out of the healthcare field and the schooling, and the competition is intense. We just can't train people quick enough to get them hired. There's just not enough healthcare workers and not enough schools teaching the programs. When I used to work in higher education, we used to struggle finding staff to teach the courses, and now colleges are actually canceling programs. Like surgical tech in Michigan - there's only one school left. The competition for talent is fierce too. If we offer a $10,000 sign-on bonus, competitors will offer $20,000. It's highly competitive. But on the positive side, anybody getting into healthcare always has a career right now, for sure, in any type of healthcare role.

I think the most important value is always assuming good intentions. You never know what people are going through in their lives, and it can change in a heartbeat. Have empathy and understanding that people have different learning styles and different ways they communicate. Don't just assume - pause before you react. I believe in kindness and compassion, and also being a woman of your word. Show up, be committed. If you say you're going to be somewhere, do it. Do every job like it's the most important job in the world, even if it's cleaning bathrooms like I used to have to do when staff would call off. Honor every single person in every company, no matter if it's the person that picks up the trash or the person who is the doctor. Everybody has value.