NEW YORK, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- For five years Michael Kavanaugh, 49, drove a large truck and carried boxes as a materials handler/driver for Montefiore Medical Center. But starting next Thursday, he'll be working in one of the hospital's many operating rooms, making sure all the equipment is in its proper place and handing over to the surgical team the many delicate medical instruments necessary to perform life saving surgeries.
Michael and 14 other Montefiore employees, all members of Healthcare Workers Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, qualified to participate in an 11-month training program to become certified OR technicians. The program is sponsored by 1199 and Montefiore, and paid for by the City, State and the medical center with a budget of $750,000.
"It's hard to believe that just last year I was picking up orders and delivering them to the OR, and now that's where I will be working," Kavanaugh said. "I guess I'm living proof that hard work and determination, along with this wonderful program, makes transformation possible. I'm about to turn 50 and this is the best birthday present that I could possibly imagine."
"This is a win/win for program graduates who will now earn more money and have more career opportunities," said Deborah King, executive director of 1199 SEIU's Training and Employment Fund. "This is a partnership of local and state governments and the private sector that really works."
"Surgical Technicians are considered market scarce positions because of the great demand for them and it's always a challenge for us to recruit them," said Elaine Brennan, RN, senior vice president of operations at Montefiore. "We take great joy in providing career opportunities and training for our associates so they can move up the career ladder."
Participants in the certification program are trained in Surgical Technology, Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Hospital Organization and they spend at least 125 hours in the operating room during a variety of surgical procedures.
Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ranks among the top one percent of all US hospitals based on its investments in medical innovation and cutting-edge technology. Montefiore invests more in order to enable compassionate, personalized care and the most positive outcomes for patients and their families in New York, the tri-state area and beyond. Montefiore's unique combination of 'state-of-the-art' technology with 'state-of-the-heart' medical and nursing care in a teaching and research environment offer patients access to world-class medical experts, the newest and most innovative treatments and the best medical center experience anywhere.
This 1,122 bed medical center includes the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, the Jack D. Weiler Hospital and The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, a large home healthcare agency and a 21-site medical group practice located throughout the Bronx and nearby Westchester.
Montefiore treats all major illnesses and has distinguished centers of excellence in cardiology and cardiac surgery, cancer care, tissue and organ transplantation, children's health, women's health, surgery and the surgical subspecialties. Montefiore Medical Center focuses on providing family-centered healthcare in a nurturing environment that extends well beyond its hospital and ambulatory settings. Please visit http://www.montefiore.org for more information.