“GET PAID” TO HELP UF HEALTH SHANDS HIRE GREAT PEOPLE
Employees may qualify for referral bonuses
Alishia Chicola, BHs, RRT-NPS, might have become a UF Health Shands employee on April 1, 2019, but there’s nothing foolish about her job. Chicola works as a respiratory therapist on the neonatal pediatric transport flight team for UF Health ShandsCair in Pensacola.
“We do the transport for neonatal patients — micro-preemies all the way up to about 6 years old,” Chicola said. “We help care for babies and kids who need some extra support. I’ve been here for over three years, and I wouldn’t choose to do anything else.”
When Chicola joined the ShandsCair team back in 2019 — leaving Jacksonville for her new role in Pensacola — she knew she was in the right place. “A lot of times when people get this job, they don’t really leave; they retire here,” Chicola said. “It’s one of those things where if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”
Alishia Chicola, BHs, RRT-NPS is one of many employees who have benefitted from the UF Health Shands referral bonus program.
Chicola said that because her job, and those of her colleagues, are so specialized, they tend to be part of a loose community of other like-minded folks. One day, Chicola received a message from a fellow respiratory therapist she became friends with through social media. The friend was inquiring about positions at ShandsCair. While there wasn’t an opening at that time, a position opened up just a few days later and Chicola immediately let her friend know.
Chicola was pleasantly surprised to learn that her friend, Alicia Bassett, RRT-NPS, NREMT, applied to the position and was hired. Another surprise was just around the corner when Chicola learned that she was also eligible to receive a monetary bonus for the referral.
“The referral bonus program was started as a way to get people to refer friends and family to UF Health Shands who they thought were qualified and would be a great fit for the organization,” said William Lukens, UF Health Shands workforce project coordinator.
The referral bonuses range from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the position. The most in-demand positions see the higher tier bonus eligibility.
Melissa Beckler, director of Employment and Recruitment for UF Health Shands Human Resources, said the referral bonus program carries benefits beyond employees having a few more bucks in the bank. The program also helps with recruitment and retention.
“It serves as a great recruiting initiative, but we also want to retain the individuals that have been here,” she said. “So, after 30 days, the referring employee receives a partial payout. And then, when the new employee has been here for 12 months, the referring employee receives the rest of the bonus.”
Lukens said the program is a win-win.
“We get a great new employee and our current great employee gets a nice bonus for having referred them,” he said. “And we know that this person comes with a great recommendation and, likely, some familiarity with the organization.”
Beckler noted that the number of employees who have successfully referred people to UF Health Shands has tripled over the past three years.
“It is a very challenging recruiting environment and we have found this to be a very rewarding and effective recruitment tool for us because of how it benefits not only UF Health, but how it benefits our current employee population,” Beckler said. “It also benefits our new hires that are coming in because they’re eligible to participate in the referral program as well.”
As for Chicola, she said the process was essentially effortless on her end. Bassett put Chicola’s name down during her application process as the person who referred her to UF Health Shands.
“I got an email saying this person was referred by you, and I responded to confirm that,” Chicola said. “Then, after she was hired, I received a link to check on the bonus status. And that’s when I realized, ‘Oh, that’s not a bad little bonus.’ And Alicia has been a wonderful asset to the team. She came with a lot of knowledge and fits in beautifully here. I’m happy it all worked out the way it did.”
Eligibility requirements and bonus amounts may vary depending on the position being filled. Contact the referral bonus coordinator at 352-265-7561 for more information.
