August 2, 2018

In June, U.S. News and World Report named us the No. 4 best children’s hospital in America with eight subspecialties ranked in the top 10 – and just last week, Forbes recognized Texas Children’s as the No. 1 in Houston and 11th best employer for women among the top 300 companies in the nation.

As more and more people around the country and even across the globe discover Texas Children’s and learn about what makes us such a special place to both receive care and build a career, you now have the opportunity to share your experiences as part of our One Amazing Team with our fellow Houstonians here at home by completing the Houston Business Journal’s annual Best Places to Work survey.

We encourage you to again raise your voices and participate in the 2018 Best Places to Work survey by clicking here or copying and pasting this link into your web browser: https://survey.quantumworkplace.com/bpsurvey/language/oc_HSUR62801/. HBJ will announce the results of the survey and company rankings in October.

Please note that the Best Places to Work survey is a third-party survey administered by HBJ via Quantum Workplace, Inc., so your participation is 100 percent confidential and your responses will be kept anonymous.

If you have questions about the survey, do not contact the IS Service Desk, as they will not be able to assist you. Instead, please contact the Best Places to Work team at bestplaces@quantumworkplace.com or by calling 1-888-415-8302.

Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace is committed to meeting every employee at Texas Children’s, and one way he does that is during a New Employee Pep Rally.

New employees at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus hired between January 1 through June 30 attended the most recent Pep Rally on July 30, and from the moment team members arrived, they shared their excitement to be with Texas Children’s!

New employees, leaders, and assigned “buddies” mixed, mingled, and snapped selfies around the room. To close the event, team captain – Wallace – celebrated what our team had accomplished and what’s ahead as our One Amazing Team keeps growing!

July 24, 2018

Patients with Texas Children’s Cancer Center recently enjoyed a close-up look at the Houston Astros Commissioner’s Trophy during an event hosted by the baseball team and the Sunshine Kids Foundation in the Cancer Clinic on the 14th Floor of Wallace Tower.

Die-hard Astros fans and baseball enthusiasts alike joined in on the fun and beamed at the 24-inch tall, 30-pound, sterling silver trophy awarded by the Commission of Baseball to the Major League Baseball team that wins the World Series.

“Wow!” said 9-year-old Astros fan and Cancer Center patient Grant Pace. “This is so cool.”

In addition to getting their pictures taken with the trophy, patients received a goodie bag from the Astros and got the opportunity to meet Orbit, the baseball team’s mascot. Patients also participated in various crafts, including making a frame for their pictures with the trophy.

Jennifer Wisler, director of children’s services with the Sunshine Foundation, said the event was a way to distract patients and families from what can be very trying times when they come to the hospital for a visit.

“We are happy to make what might be the chance of a lifetime happen for so many patients and their families,” she said. “We aim to put smiles on children’s faces and there are a lot of smiles here today.”

Bobby Trefzger, the trophy coordinator for the Astros, said events like these mean a lot to the Astros. “It’s amazing to see the smiles on people’s faces, especially the faces of children like these,” he said.

For more information on the Sunshine Kids Foundation, click here.

July 17, 2018

On July 9 the Cancer Center clinic surprised outpatients with a visit from Elsa, one of Texas Children’s three therapy dogs.

With the dogs constantly making their rounds throughout the hospital visiting inpatients, at times outpatients miss the opportunity to see their furry friends.

“Elsa and I spent a lot of time with the hematology oncology inpatient population during our first year and a half,” said Animal Assisted Therapy Coordinator, Sarah Herbek. “Our patients began to look forward to coming to the hospital and seeing Elsa during their admission. Their journey doesn’t end when they are discharged, and neither should their relationship with Elsa.”

As Elsa’s handler it was Herbek’s goal, along with other members of the Child Life department to provide continuity of care by following these patients throughout their entire treatment journey, inpatient and outpatient.

“I think Elsa and our Pawsitive Play Program have been especially impactful with our cancer patients because of the long duration of their treatment,” Herbek said. “Our patients come to Texas Children’s on a regular basis for months and sometimes years. Elsa’s presence is something they are able to look forward to during those times. They know that Elsa will be there when they need a shoulder to cry on, a paw to hold, or a furry friend to snuggle with.”

The hospital launched its Pawsitive Play Program in 2016 and it has become highly appreciated throughout the organization in just that small amount of time. The goal of the committee that introduced this program was to use animal-assisted therapy to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients by reducing their anxiety, perception of pain and fear of hospitalization.

“As Executive Vice-Chair, I represented the Department of Pediatrics on Texas Children’s Hospital Facility Dog Steering Committee,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. “This committee is actively exploring multiple opportunities for children and their families to benefit from therapy dogs.”

Cancer treatment can be very painful physically and mentally. Adding a trained therapy dog to this stressful environment can increase a patient’s energy level and decrease any discomfort or anxiety.

Also, a lot of the patients in the clinic have severe conditions and are not able to experience situations that other children their age would. For one patient the visit from Elsa fulfilled this void with it being her first time interacting with a dog.

“It is very important for patients receiving treatment in the Cancer Center to be able to have time with Elsa because it is a meaningful interaction during a difficult time,” said Child Life Specialist, Katy O’Dell. “These interactions can boost the patients overall mood by allowing them to engage in activities with Elsa that are fun and interactive, which most importantly brings a smile to their face.”

Now that the Pawsitive Play program has grown and added both Bailey, the Legacy Tower therapy dog, and Pinto in Acute care, it has become even more impactful.

“The positive psychosocial impact of the therapy dogs is better than that of any medicine that we could prescribe,” said Blaney. “We are so thankful that Texas Children’s supports the therapy dog program and that we have world class child life specialists who work with this program to handle the dogs as well as to provide support to the children and their families.”

July 10, 2018

For many of our new colleagues embarking on their first few months at Texas Children’s, learning to navigate such a large and diverse organization can seem an overwhelming and intimidating task – the kind of challenge made much easier when faced alongside their personal Texas Children’s Buddy, the friendly team member assigned to offer them support and reassurance from the very beginning of their journey.

The Texas Children’s Buddy Experience begins when hiring leaders assign as a Buddy a team member with great interpersonal skills who is knowledgeable about their unit or department, well regarded by their peers, committed to living out and modeling the organization’s core values, and willing to amplify unity by helping to make a new colleague’s onboarding process more positive.

After the new colleague completes Texas Children’s Hi orientation, they meet their Buddy for the first time and begin forging what is often a meaningful and fulfilling relationship for them both. The Buddy becomes their new colleague’s go-to person for insider insights and advice about everything from settling in with their new team members and finding their way on campus, to the best places to grab a bite, rent an apartment or buy scrubs.

To help them better understand the important role they will play for their new colleague, Texas Children’s Buddies have access to numerous resources – including a Buddy Handbook, Buddy Checklist and frequently asked questions all available on the newly created Buddy Resources page on Connect. Buddies and hiring leaders also receive their new colleague’s “My Favorite Things” questionnaire, an addition to the Buddy Experience this quarter that asks new hires to provide responses to lighthearted questions about their likes and interests.

“My Buddy was always very positive and happy. She answered all the questions I had,” one recent hire said in response to a Buddy Experience assessment survey administered by Human Resources. “She reflects Texas Children’s values and definitely made me feel at home. She was always very open and receptive.”

The benefits of the Buddy Experience extend beyond simply providing a new colleague with a sounding board and lunch companion. Research shows that in giving newly hired employees a way to more quickly foster connections with their colleagues, workplaces with buddy programs also see improvements in engagement and retention. A Gallup study completed in 2013 found that buddy programs can reduce turnover by more than 23 percent, and fully 50 percent of employees said they had a strong connection with their organization because they had a best friend at work.

And if comments from our newly hired colleagues and early Human Resources hiring data are any indication, that positive trend is likely to continue at Texas Children’s through our own Buddy Experience. Survey respondents praised their Buddies for being “just awesome” and “exceptionally welcoming from the start,” making them “feel like part of the team,” and displaying “nothing but kindness and goodwill to help me get acclimated.”

“My Buddy helped me get adjusted,” said one recently hired colleague. “They made sure I had and knew everything I needed in order to be successful.”

Are you serving as a Buddy or do you have a Buddy at Texas Children’s? Share your special moments on social media using the hashtags #MyTexasChildrensBuddy, #TexasChildrensPeople and #AmplifyUnity.

Texas Children’s teammates scaled monkey bars, slung ropes, hauled sandbags, climbed cargo nets, flipped heavy truck tires and even threw spears at our first obstacle course race boot camp, a free class recently offered by the Well-Being team in partnership with BC Fitness.

The boot camp course was designed to give employees and their families and friends an opportunity to try out the types of exercises included in popular and challenging races like the Spartan and Tough Mudder. After working their way through numerous obstacles while their colleagues amplified unity by cheering them on, boot campers lined up to run a full race.

Stay tuned for more information about your next chance to be part of the class.

For upcoming well-being activities, programs, partnerships and discounts visit the Well-Being page on Connect.

July 3, 2018

At Texas Children’s, we work hard each and every day to provide the best care for our patients and their families. Because we support you and your well-being, we are bringing back the 21-day H2O challenge, a fun and practical well-being challenge to help you consume more water every day.

One simple yet powerful way to enhance your overall health and wellness is to stay hydrated. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends adults take in at least 64 ounces of water per day.

Challenge details

  • The challenge begins on Tuesday, July 10. Click here to register!
  • Participants should consume at least 8 cups or 64 ounces of water every day for 21 days.
  • To kick off the challenge and keep up with their new healthy habit along the way, all Texas Children’s badge holders who register to participate will receive a tracking sheet and Texas Children’s water bottle after registration.
  • Check out this schedule to find out when water bottles will be distributed at your Texas Children’s location.

Challenges are usually more fun and successful with friends, so we encourage you to amplify unity by inviting your co-workers to participate with you! You can also help rock the ripple effect by sharing your water challenge photos on social media using the hashtags #TCHH2OChallenge and #TexasChildrensPeople.

For more information, visit the Well-Being site on Connect.