We are excited to officially announce the Royal Ambulance Career Bridge Program™, a first-of-its-kind team member program that aligns individual growth goals with on-the-job experience, preparing young leaders to seamlessly progress in their healthcare careers
As part of Royal's mission of developing the next generation of healthcare leaders, the Talent Development and Marketing teams designed the program, before finding culturally aligned organizations with whom to collaborate.
One of the hallmark elements of the program is its ability to align individual growth goals with downstream organizational hiring requirements.
In the Spring of 2022, Cohort 1, began their professional development journeys alongside Berkeley Fire Department.
By frontloading on-the-job learning opportunities and tailoring experiences to align more closely with team members’ goals, the program uniquely prepares Graduates to be high-value Candidates and stand out to future employers in the highly competitive job market.
With the success and professional opportunities created for Royal team members, the program has since scaled to include three additional partners: Regional Medical Center of San Jose, the City of Oakland Fire Department ,and Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley.
The program further supports team members through 1-1 mentorship and direct access to environments and relationships within Royal’s healthcare community.
“We’re in the business of caring for people. Not just patients, but our team members, too. Our frontline teams selflessly care for patients and can operate at their best, knowing that we have their back. This trust is critical to the health of the culture that we’re building.” - Steve Grau, CEO, Royal Ambulance
This program was designed, with the understanding that foundational knowledge, peer-to-peer respect, and exponential growth in the fields of Healthcare and Public Safety are gained through the introductory experiences of EMS.
This innovative approach offers a high-touch growth opportunity and long-term professional development through never-before-seen collaboration between Private EMS, Public Safety and Health Systems.
As the program developed, it became clear that a considerable barrier to entering these professions is simply not having personal connections or direct experiences. Immeasurable value is derived from the Candidates being given the opportunity to meet, spend time with, and be mentored by those who currently hold their aspiring roles.
Through these experiences, they receive a first-hand look at what their future could be and are better prepared when the time comes for their career transition.
“Through this unique program, we know we are positively affecting people's lives and careers as they confidently progress in the direction of their dream jobs.” - Brett Lyle, Career Strategist
The career paths of many of these candidates can range from a few years to over a decade. Early directional clarity and support from internal and external industry leaders, creates an eyes-wide-open understanding of the path forward and increases the likelihood of success for Candidates.
“For a lot of our team members, their time at Royal is a part of the journey, not the destination. Instead of fighting to retain people, it is our responsibility to help them grow - even if it means they move on.” Samantha Barakat, Talent Development Manager.
This “stepping stone” mentality might be a shocking approach, but we’ve found that by radically supporting team members in this phase of their careers, we can make a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives and have a far-reaching impact across multiple sectors of the healthcare continuum.
“The Career Bridge Program is the support I needed to further my career. It’s important to me to not only learn through the resources and classes but also through my peers who share similar goals. This challenge will give me the backbone I need to fully understand the role I am seeking as a Firefighter paramedic.” - Cohort 1 Participant
“We’re optimistic and excited about opportunities unknown, as Graduates transition into healthcare leadership roles and additional culturally-aligned partners emerge.” - Hasieb Lemar, COO, Royal Ambulance
If you* or your organization is interested in getting involved, please reach out: CareerBridgeProgram@RoyalAmbulance.com.
*The Career Bridge Program application is only available to current full time team members. If you are not working with Royal but would like to join a future cohort, the first step is to apply on our careers page.
