After more than 100 years in health care, St. John's Health System knows how to take care of people. But its mission of caring does not stop with patients, extending to the approximately 10,000 employees who have helped St. John's become No. 1 among the nation's Top 100 Integrated Health Systems by SDI Health.
St. John's pays 75 percent of health insurance costs for employees and family members and has been offering wellness programs for almost 10 years.
Participation in the wellness program, which addresses issues ranging from exercise and smoking cessation to diabetes, depression and congestive heart failure, can result in reduced insurance premiums and other financial incentives, according to Chris Bos, St. John's human resources manager.
St. John's partners with MetLife for its 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans. St. John's provides a match on the first 4 percent of income that each employee puts in the 401(k), matching 50 percent on the first 1 percent, then 25 percent on the next 3 percent.
"On top of that, they offer a pension program that you don't have to put any money into. It goes all the way up; if you've been here 30 years, you'll get up to a 30 percent match on top of the 401(k)," Bos says.
In terms of compensation, prior to this year, average salary increases have been as high as 4.5 percent; this year the increase was approximately 2.25 percent across the board.
While St. John's corporate culture is based in the Catholic religion, Bos says, the health system gives consideration to all religions. Additionally, St. John's long tradition of caring, ministry of healing, and the respect that its history and achievements have garnered have defined the system's working environment, Bos says.
Registered Nurse Bonnie Jacobs has been employed by St. John's Hospital since 1966. When she relocated to Springfield from Kansas City, she applied at local hospitals after she could not find a position in pediatrics, her previous field.
"I had tried several hospitals, and I felt like it was the Lord directing me here, because I felt like it was the perfect place for me to work," she says.
In the last 43 years, Jacobs says she's never been dissatisfied with her decision to join St. John's, and adds that she would not hesitate to recommend St. John's to a young person thinking about going into the nursing field.
"It's been a blessing to have the opportunity to work in a place like this," Jacobs says.
St. John's cultivates its employees through its School at Work program, which can help co-workers prepare for college, sharpen computer skills or just get back in the mindset of returning to the classroom.
St. John's also offers numerous opportunities for advancement, Bos says, and he's seen many people come in at entry level and work their way up to their desired positions, from nursing to occupational, speech or physical therapy.
"It's what you want to make it; you can go as far as you want," he says.
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