Hospitality Support Professionals play a key role on Spectrum Health healthcare teams. In addition to providing high quality customer service, team members directly impact the safety, presentation and culinary experience of hospitals and facilities for all patients and visiting families. To tell us more about job and career opportunities in hospitality support is Tony Boggs, Spectrum Health Director, Food & Facilities Operations.
The roles of Hospitality Support Professionals are so important because they include positions like Environmental Services and Nutrition Services at Spectrum Health. A typical day for a Hospitality Professional Includes:
o Ensuring the cleanliness, sanitization and distinguished presentation of all hospital areas
o Preparing and serving high-quality nourishing meals to patients, families, visitors and staff
o Providing a renowned hospitality experience to all who enter our facilities
o Supporting other members of the hospitality team
o And much more
These workers are essential for keeping the hospital running. Boggs said their work treating and caring for patients would grind to a halt without these important workers. In fact, they are sort of the unsung heroes of the COVID pandemic. You probably think of a heart surgeon or other high-profile physician as a hero during these times, and that is certainly true, but those surgeons would be unable to perform their procedures without a clean and sterile operating room, and that’s one of the many key roles that Hospitality Professionals carry out.
The Spectrum Health environmental services team works around the clock to keep hospitals clean and help people stay safe and that includes every space in the entire organization that is touched by patients, staff and visitors, including: operating rooms, patient rooms, nursing stations, waiting rooms, lobbies and corridors – you name it.
Nutrition services team members work to prepare and deliver hot, fresh, nutritious meals for patients, visitors and staff. Family members who have spent a long night at the bedside or clinical staff that have worked all night are grateful for a fresh, nutritious meal or sometimes just a nice hot cup of coffee.
An environmental services job can be a foot in the door to a heath care career. While some of stayed in that role for many years, they also have others who have used a Hospitality Support Services position as a way of finding out more about health care careers; some who have moved onto other positions in health care; and others who work this job while studying for another health care career.
It’s important to keep in mind that Spectrum Health is the largest employer in West Michigan with more than 31,000 employees in 14 hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and 155 additional sites – so there can be a lot of movement within the organization, both vertically and laterally.
To learn more about full-time and part-time positions at 20 hours per week or more along with benefits, including medical, dental, vision and tuition reimbursement, be sure to visit: www.spectrumhealth.org/hospitalityjobs
