Zion Park Manor believes in the Eden principle:
To give care to another makes us stronger. To receive care gracefully is a pleasure and an art. A healthy human community promotes both of these virtues in its daily life, seeking always to balance one with the other.
When we screen applicants to work in our elders’ home, we look closely for staff that are able to embrace this philosophy. At Zion Park Manor, staff are trained that our elders come first. The phrase “it’s not my job” is not one that we use.
Our belief is that we all work as a team towards the common goal of serving the elders in their homes. Staff hired at Zion Park Manor must be helpful, energetic, positive and respectful. People like to work in our elders’ home because it is a family, not just for the elders, but for staff as well. While staff may come to work with us because they need a job, we believe they will stay because they become part of our family.
We work closely with our unions and encourage regular face to face meetings to discuss and plan. We consider our staff, their union representatives and our leaders to be part of the same team. We work cooperatively to ensure that the organization provides the best care for our elders while ensuring staff are supported, valued and respected. We believe that our staff deserve the same care and concern as our elders.
Zion Park Manor hosts multiple groups of practicum students throughout the year including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, care aides and dietitians. During their practicums, we look for those students that fit our culture and philosophy and actively recruit them to work at Zion both during the summer between classes and after their graduation. In addition to helping the students, hosting practicums is a wonderful method of enabling current staff to grow and learn as they teach and mentor, supporting other community organizations, and ensuring a consistent replenishment of screened and trained staff.
We support our employees’ education needs and have many healthcare students working with us during their schooling. We believe that education is the key to skilled, confident and happy staff. We also offer daily education in written and discussion format to ensure that employees remain up to date.
We work hard to recognize staff both formally and informally. While formal events are not unwelcome, we realize that the day to day recognition of the often wondrous things our staff do is essential.
Zion Park Manor has very low turnover. Many staff have been with the organization for over 15 years. In fact, many people do not seem willing to stay retired when they leave us. A number of recent staff who retired from Zion Park Manor have come back to work casually within 2 months. Our retention of long term staff ensures a consistent workforce and continuity of care for our elders.
Staff are our greatest resource in providing excellent services to our elders. We believe that supporting our staff, and encouraging their growth, while recognizing, nurturing and cultivating abilities is the key to our ongoing success.
If you believe you are one of the special staff who can work with our elders as part of the ZionPark family, please do not hesitate to apply.