I am an intern. Yep, Mom, I finally made it!
For twenty-years, my Dad, Jim Loveless, has served Nemours' department of Information Systems.
During our talks, we discuss a myriad of matters, including my vocational aspirations. He always encourages me to be passionate and work for a company I can believe in.
Based on his years at Nemours, my Dad purports that who one works for is as significant as what type of job is done.
His decades long devotion to Nemours and pride in their mission has inspired me to seek employment within their ranks as well. A summer marketing internship with Nemours fits the criteria that my Dad instilled in me; work enthusiastically for a company that champions a healthier tomorrow.
I believe, as Nemours professes, that children's healthcare deserves a higher standard.
Fostering a culture of trust in every interaction is pivotal for Nemours, a company who clearly prioritizes the person before the bottom line.
Over the past two days, I attended the new hire orientation. We discussed, in great depth, Nemours' Standards of Behavior.
Of course, Nemours requires these standards to be upheld companywide, but they also hope that such values transmute associates' off hours.
For example, Nemours' number one standard is to 'Be in the Moment.' Associates' undivided attention is demanded. Thus, ferreting in one's purse or swiping through one's phone would obstruct productivity and damage the carefully cultivated environment of respect.
Within the offices and clinics, engagement is key. You ascribe value to what you pay attention to.
Secondly, 'Be Authentic and Humanistic.' Do not be Sheldon, from 'The Big Bang Theory,' spouting facts without tact.
Third, 'Volunteer Discretionary Effort Constantly,' meaning second-mile service of one's peers, the patients and their families. A company produced video told 'The Bubbles Story' wherein a cancer patient loved to blow bubbles, but eventually she was too sick. The Nemours' clinic's facilities team worked afterhours to build her a bubble machine.
Nemours included the word 'constantly' because selfless service should not be a novelty, but rather habitual and automatic.
Next, associates must 'Model High Performance.' According to Nemours' CEO, Dr. Bailey, "desired behaviors drive desired results."
Personally, I was struck by 'model.' The founder of Nemours, Alfred I. duPont, spent his early years as a black powderman. He created two hundred plus patents and addressed the needs of his fellow powdermen throughout his life. Alfred I. duPont's innovation and compassion are the bedrock of Nemours.
In manufacturing, models are carved to create countless other identical productions. However, if the model can be improved upon then it is tweaked; hence, all the subsequent models bear the improvements.
Therefore, each associate is a model of the Nemours brand. A brand that strives for perfection through continuous improvement.
Both five and six are complementary standards; 'Respect and leverage separate realities' and 'Be Curious vs. Judgmental.'
Specifically, at hospitals, countless stories converge; the plots of which are as varied as they are valued. Each story exists separately, but at Nemours they become one.
Each associate, patient and family member brings their own narrative to the proverbial table. At orientation, we heard countless anecdotes of how Nemours gave many hopeless a happy ending.
The task before me is to tell their stories.
