We’re delighted to announce that Lifespark has landed on the list of 2023 Top USA Workplaces—the second time we’ve made the list! To earn this coveted designation, employees at Lifespark, along with thousands of other companies across the country, had the opportunity last November to participate in an anonymous, third-party survey focused on company culture, leadership, pay and benefits, career development, job flexibility, and more.
While Lifespark gets the honor, the real credit goes to our amazing team—the dedicated, smart, skilled, creative, collaborative, caring individuals who bring our vision and mission to life. Every. Single. Day. You are Lifespark!
Health care workforce landscape
What makes this recognition even more meaningful is how challenging these past three years have been for health care workers. Based on the Minnesota Hospital Association’s 2022 Workforce Report, the health care workforce landscape is dire, with 9,823 open positions in Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems and an almost 250% one-year increase in job vacancy rates.
A recent survey by ConnectRN, a nursing staffing agency, reported that 50 percent of nurses they polled have considered leaving the profession. Among their top frustrations are staffing shortages, safety concerns, COVID-19, and a lack of control over their work life.
Factors that matter
What motivates a person to stay or leave their job depends on a number of factors and can vary from person to person. Pay and benefits are certainly part of the equation, but career advancement opportunities, recognition, leadership, management, culture, vision and mission, and work-life balance can be equally important.
Linda Bruxius, RN, Life Manager, who has been with Lifespark since 2010, continues to feel inspired by the company’s passion, vision, and innovation. “From the very beginning, I believed in Joel [Theisen, Lifespark CEO] and his vision, and even though we went through growing pains, I knew it was going to work out—and I wanted to be part of it,” she said.
There was a period, eight years ago, when the demands of Linda’s work as Director of Nursing had become so overwhelming that she considered quitting. “We were putting in extremely long hours, trying to do too much with not enough people,” she said. “Joel came over to the campus and for two hours, he listened to me. I felt heard and seen, and we got through it.”
In addition to her position as a campus-based Director of Nursing, she’s also served as a community-based RN Case Manager, and now, as a Life Manager with Population Health. With each new role, Linda says she has continued to learn and grow. “I love having the independence to be creative in how we can apply our nursing experience and skills to meet people where they’re at—it’s the ideal blend of the science and art of nursing.”
Finding fulfillment
Yasmin Carrillo, RN, BSN, Lifespark Hospice, left hospital nursing in search of a more fulfilling, less draining career path. She decided to give hospice a try. Since joining Lifespark Hospice a little over a year ago, she says she’s found her calling.
“It’s incredibly fulfilling to walk with someone through this phase of life, to keep them comfortable, and to advocate for them,” she said. “I can’t imagine wanting to do any other kind of nursing.”
Yasmin also appreciates being able to take her time with each client, using her nursing skills in different and challenging ways, including symptom management and coordination with doctors and family members. “Every day is different—there’s nothing routine about the work we do.”
To explore career opportunities at Lifespark, please visit our Careers page. We look forward to meeting you!
