Workforce development

Colleagues

Strengthening the workforce of tomorrow  

Our workforce development agenda seeks to connect individuals from across the country with enriching careers in healthcare. Since the launch of our Workforce Development Center of Excellence (COE), we’ve helped over 1,450 graduates advance their careers in healthcare through COE-led programs. The COE designs and implements strategic programs that address critical workforce needs both locally and for the enterprise.

Tierra Chestine, Coordinator, Central Sterile, Ogden Regional Medical Center

In 2025, we expanded our portfolio of offerings to 28 total programs with more than 1,005 participants who trained in imaging, sterile processing, nursing, patient care technician and other technical specialties needed in our facilities. This investment continued to deliver meaningful results, maintaining an average retention rate of 91% and saving over $4.2 million in contract labor in 2025. Through targeted skill-building and training, these programs help colleagues prepare for tomorrow’s challenges while opening doors to higher-level, higher-paying roles today.

We’ve also deepened partnerships in the communities where we live and serve. Through public-private partnerships, the COE secures grant funding to expand the talent pipeline in alignment with the COE’s program offerings. In 2025, we secured $2.4 million in grants, with $1.9 million in the pipeline, for workforce training programs. Through these community partnerships, we’ve supported more than 560 program graduates in advancing their career pathway.

28 workforce development programs are concentrated
within the following disciplines:

  • Imaging
  • Patient Care Technician
  • Phlebotomy
  • Sterile Processing
  • Surgical Technologist
  • Medical Assistant
  • Nursing

Expanding skills
to meet growing needs

Lily Teferra, a registered respiratory therapist with a bachelor’s degree in respiratory science, has worked in the field since 2012 and has been with HCA Healthcare for nearly three years. She pursued the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) program to expand her skills and transition into cardiac care as a catheterization laboratory (cath lab) technologist.

“The class needs a lot of time even outside of working hours,” Lily said. Supported by the program, her family and her own perseverance, she passed the RCIS certification exam on her first attempt, an accomplishment achieved by only 73% of candidates. The milestone was especially rewarding at home. “I will never forget how my 6-year-old daughter was proud when I got home that night after I passed my test,” Lily shared. “She said, ‘now we can play together.’”

Erica Castro, director of workforce development for HCA Healthcare’s Gulf Coast and Central and West Texas Divisions, reflected on the challenges Lily faced and the commitment required to succeed in rigorous clinical training programs. “The road wasn’t easy,” Erica said. “Balancing the program with family responsibilities meant late nights, tough sacrifices and pushing through obstacles.”

Erica added, “Now, as an RCIS graduate, she’s proud to be in the cath lab, serving in a role that is both critically needed and deeply meaningful. Her story is a reminder of the impact these programs have, not only on careers, but on families and communities too.”

Lily’s experience is part of a broader effort to strengthen critical talent pipelines and create meaningful career pathways for colleagues ready to take the next step.

“The road wasn’t easy, balancing the program with family responsibilities meant late nights, tough sacrifices and pushing through obstacles. Now, as an RCIS graduate, Lily’s proud to be in the cath lab, serving in a role that is both critically needed and deeply meaningful. Her story is a reminder of the impact these programs have, not only on careers, but on families and communities too.”

Erica Castro
Director of Workforce Development, Gulf Coast and Central and West Texas Divisions, HCA Healthcare
(Left to right): Erica Castro, Director of Workforce Development, Gulf Coast and Central and West Texas Divisions; Kimberly Burkes, Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist, HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake; Lily Teferra, Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist, HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake; Sharon Sullivan, Vice President of Cardiovascular Service Line Development, Gulf Coast Division

Answering the call
for critical cardiac care

Kimberly Burkes spent 25 years working as a registered respiratory therapist, including seven years with HCA Healthcare, supporting patients in intensive care units and emergency departments during some of their most critical moments.

While deeply committed to her profession, the prolonged intensity and emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic led Kimberly to reassess her future. She knew she wanted to continue making a difference in patient care and began exploring how she could apply her experience in a new way. “In the past, I would frequently have to treat patients with respiratory difficulties in the cath lab during their procedures,” Kimberly explained. “I was very intrigued by everything going on in there but never thought in a million years that there would be an opportunity for me in that atmosphere.”

Through HCA Healthcare’s RCIS workforce development program, Kimberly was able to transition into a new role in the cath lab. The program provided structured training and education while allowing her to remain employed full time. “The ability to focus completely on learning without worrying about financial responsibilities was instrumental to my success,” she said. “We were able to continue to earn 40 hours of income per week, and all of our educational needs were paid for by HCA Healthcare.”

For Kimberly, the program opened the door to a second career at age 51, which she describes as the opportunity of a lifetime. HCA Healthcare’s investment not only helps address a critical workforce need but also gives experienced clinicians like Kimberly an avenue to continue serving patients in new, impactful ways. Her journey reflects how targeted workforce development can retain clinical expertise while building depth and resilience within care teams across the organization.