Employees Get Hands-On Experience in Professional Development Program

Richard Smith is on his way up at Duke. He came to Duke a few years ago as a data entry clerk, but this fall Smith is looking forward to finding a position as a clinical research associate with the help of the Professional Development Institute (PDI).

In early June, Smith began an internship as a clinical trials assistant in the Department of Anesthesiology. He spends five hours a week learning to collect data from the study subjects, entering it into the computer and managing the database. By the time he completes the internship in November, he will have learned to do lab work as well.

The internship phase marks the halfway point for the first class of the office staff development program. Participants began the 40-week program in February with 10 hours a week of classroom work on top of the full-time clerical and administrative jobs the participants hold. During the internship phase of the program, participants cut back their classroom time to three hours a week, with another two hours a week to complete out-of-class assignments. It's a hectic schedule, but one on which Smith and others in the class thrive.

"Richard has a higher level of enthusiasm, initiative and confidence since participating in the program," said John Kessler, assistant director of pharmacy in the medical center and Smith's supervisor in his full-time position. "We've been able to benefit from what he's learned in the program. We'll put a challenge and some ideas in front of him, and he has used the skills he's learned in the program to do some great work. We want to find a place for him to use these new skills at Duke -- preferably in this department."

This "grow your own" philosophy of providing career growth opportunities for employees is at the heart of the Institute's mission. The curriculum for the first program, made up of staff employed in levels two through five, includes learning computer applications, financial systems, record-keeping, business writing and office management. By the time they graduate in early November, the employees will be ready for career advancement.

While Duke has made a commitment through PDI to invest in employees' career growth, participants must also make a commitment to succeed in the program. It takes perseverance to keep up with class work, plus handle the normal stress of busy work days. Faye Keith, a secretary in housing assignments on campus, started the program at the beginning of her department's six-month "madhouse" season said her supervisor Donald Love, manager of housing assignments.

"I told Faye, 'I am so impressed you're doing this and sticking with it,'" he said. "Quite frankly, I don't think I could go back to school at this point in my life."

Yet he has noticed that as Keith progresses through the program, she comes to work excited, confident and willing to take initiative. Because of the competencies she has developed, Love has made Keith the go-to person on projects he wouldn't have turned over to her before her participation in the program.

Keith took the initiative to find an internship in her own department, moving upstairs, literally, to the office of the dean of Residence Life and the executive director of Housing Services. Keith's internship supervisor, staff assistant Cheryl Dodson, had worked previously with interns in the Mobility Program and was eager to serve as a mentor through PDI.

"I like to work with people who have the motivation to get ahead," Dodson said. "I'm not going to limit Ms. Keith to making copies. I'm giving her challenging work assignments also."

Dodson takes time to teach Keith before turning a task over to her. She also expects Keith to take notes. When Keith has a question, she checks her notes first, becoming more self-reliant in the process.

Keith said that regular contact with her mentor has helped sustain her through the program. She and her mentor, Anne Light, assistant director of auxiliary services, meet at least once a month and keep in touch at other times through e-mail or phone calls. Light agreed to be a mentor because at times in her own career others had given her guidance and direction, and she felt it was time to give back.

"Mentoring has been a two-way street," Light said. "I get a new friendship and a new perspective. I have learned as much from Faye as I have imparted to her."

Despite the hectic pace of her life since Keith began the program, she has felt energized by the possibilities of promotion that lie in the not-too-distant future.

"It's intense; long days and lots of studying," Keith said. "But Duke offers a lot if you want to advance. You just have to take advantage of it."