MUSC The Catalyst
MUSC arial view

 

MUSCMedical LinksCharleston LinksArchivesCatalyst AdvertisersSeminars and EventsResearch StudiesPublic RelationsResearch GrantsCatalyst PDF FileMUSC home pageCommunity HappeningsCampus NewsApplause

MUSCMedical LinksCharleston LinksArchivesCatalyst AdvertisersSeminars and EventsResearch StudiesPublic RelationsResearch GrantsMUSC home pageCommunity HappeningsCampus NewsApplause

 

return to The Catalyst home page


Dear medical center employees

Let me begin by expressing my appreciation for all that you do. I receive letters from patients every week that express gratitude and praise for our staff and physicians. Despite the challenging times, you continue to demonstrate your commitment to excellent patient care, and I am deeply grateful.

As you know, our goal is for MUSC medical center to be the employer and the provider of choice. We know that there is a tight connection between employee satisfaction and patient satisfaction, so we cannot simply focus on the needs of our patients—we must also work to meet your needs as employees. Our annual employee partnership survey provides us with clear suggestions of opportunities for us to address.

One area that has appeared on our top opportunities list for the past three surveys is “fairness of performance reviews.” I am pleased to share that we have taken big steps forward to address your concerns, including the following:

  • The organization is moving to a common review period (July 1- June 30) —all employee reviews will be done at the same time—which will help us make sure reviews are fair and consistent.
  • The performance management forms have been updated and clearly reflect a connection to our Standards of Behavior.
  • Beginning with the fiscal year 2010 review year, all medical center  employees will have pillar goals, so you and I will both be focused on the same goals.
  • We are implementing a new, online performance management software tool, SuccessFactors, in July.

SuccessFactors will replace our current manual, paper system for managing your performance. The tool makes it easy to share job responsibilities and pillar goals within departments, units, clinics and areas. This will support our efforts to improve the fairness and consistency of our performance review process. You will also have access to your position description, job responsibilities and pillar goals round the clock—even from home. If you choose, you can make electronic notes about key actions you complete, goals you reach, even compliments you receive, throughout the year. The system will also make it easier for us to respond to Joint Commission survey questions during a survey, as we will not have to track down as many pieces of paper.

The university and UMA also have planned to implement SuccessFactors at a later date.

I am excited about SuccessFactors, but realize that it will require change—and we are putting the system in place within a short timeframe. We have recently rolled out a SuccessFactors Web site—https://www.musc.edu/medcenter/SuccessFactors/index.html—please take a moment to review the information on the site today.

Training will be held for managers and key support staff beginning June 15. Log into CATTS via http://www.musc.edu/catts to sign up. Employees who do not supervise other employees are not required to attend training, but are encouraged to attend a drop-in session. Visit the Web site for times, dates and locations. Managers are reminded to update their list of direct reports in the Supervisor Tree tool.

In closing, you make MUSC a great place every day—thank you for all that you do.

Friday, June 12, 2009


The Catalyst Online is published weekly by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. The Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to The Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.