Columbus, OH,
02
October
2019
|
15:00 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

OhioHealth Career Growth Programs Serve as a Ladder to Educational Goals

Five years ago, Brittany Cutlip, RN, was driving a forklift and was unsure of what her future held. Now, as a registered nurse in the emergency department at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, she is grateful for the opportunities she's had through OhioHealth.

"If you would've told me 10 years ago that I'd be where I am now, I never would have believed it," said the amiable 31-year-old.

Cutlip's journey wasn't always easy, but OhioHealth's focus on career growth, continuing education and creating leaders made it possible. She started out as a patient services assistant at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital – the same hospital where the Columbus native was born.

Using OhioHealth's tuition reimbursement program, Cutlip was able pay for the core classes she needed to apply to nursing school, and she relied on the OhioHealth Scholar Program to pay for the two-year nursing program at Columbus State Community College.

Cutlip's nurse manager, Holly Hall, BSN, RN, SANE, also stepped in to offer assistance on several occasions, including when a series of paperwork errors threw Cutlip's admission into limbo. Cutlip honored Hall for her help by asking her to pin her at her nursing school graduation in May 2018.

"She's the reason I actually graduated. Without her putting forth that effort, I wouldn't have been able to go to nursing school," said Cutlip. "She played a pivotal role in my future."

Hall said pinning Cutlip was an honor and watching her grow as a nurse has been rewarding. "It's nice to know that someone benefited from something I did and that she cared enough to listen to my advice and move forward with it."

Today, Cutlip is working toward her Bachelor of Science in nursing online through Purdue University Northwest and thriving in her role in the Doctors Hospital emergency department.

"I love the adrenaline. I love not knowing what you're going to get coming through those doors – is it going to be a cardiac arrest or dental pain?" she said. "You just never know what's going to happen."

More than the excitement that comes with the job, Cutlip finds interacting with patients the most rewarding aspect of her new career.

"When they come to us, they are not having a good day. When I can send somebody home with a discharge or to be hospitalized, and they express their gratitude, give me a compliment or they smile, that just makes it all worth it," she said, smiling. "To know that I was able to have an impact and help them have a better day at the end – that's the best feeling."

Even though Cutlip now works at a different care site than Hall the two still share a strong connection. Hall regularly checks in on Cutlip's progress and stands ready to assist with phone calls or reference letters if needed. Cutlip is paying Hall's act of kindness forward by mentoring associates who are navigating the process of tuition reimbursement and applying for the OhioHealth Scholars Program.

"It can be a confusing process if you're not used to it, so a lot of people pretty much have me on speed dial to assist," she said. "I'm happy to share the knowledge I gained to help other people."

This story was originally published in an internal OhioHealth associate publication.

About OhioHealth

OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth has been recognized as one of the top five large health systems in America by Truven Health Analytics, an honor it has received six times. It is also recognized by Fortune as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” and has been for 13 years in a row, 2007–2019.

Serving its communities since 1891, OhioHealth is a family of 30,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a system of 12 hospitals and more than 200 ambulatory sites, hospice, home health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 47-county area.

OhioHealth hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, OhioHealth Shelby Hospital, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Berger Hospital. For more information, please visit OhioHealth.com.