Community Medical Centers provides its employees with numerous educational opportunities to grow their careers in the Valley. Last year the healthcare network invested more than $18.5 million in educational reimbursements, professional certifications and clinical education’ and advanced leadership training.
 

Gifts from the Leon S. Peters Foundation, Dr. Krishna Rajani, the Marilyn Hawkins memorial fund and Gerald and Nanette Lyles helped provide scholarships for employees who want to become nurses and for nurses seeking master’s and doctoral degrees.
 

Alex Perez, a new manager in Community’s Foundation, said the intensive year-long new leaders training – ALPHA or Academy of Leaders Preparing for Higher Achievement – that he just finished was invaluable, especially for someone new to Community. “I got great insight into the culture. I really use what I learned about when to use face-to-face versus written communication every day in my position,” he said.
 

In addition to providing 42,000 hours of training and education to employees, Community hospitals provide clinical training grounds for local colleges and high schools in nursing, respiratory therapy, nuclear medicine, pharmacy tech, speech and physical therapy, medical imaging, nutrition and health information. Seminary students from Pacific University and chaplain candidates from the Clinical Pastoral Education Program also get valuable experience with patients at Community hospitals.