The Administrative Support Training Program: A Long-Term Investment in the Workforce

Administrative support staff are an important part of any health care system. They are often a customer’s first point of contact with the system, and ensuring that administrative support staff are knowledgeable, polite, and able to work with both customers and care team members will help ensure a smooth customer experience. SCF has implemented specific training for these staff to ensure quality customer service, support training of a workforce made up of community members, and reduce the turnover rate of administrative support staff.

SCF’s Administrative Support Training Program (ASTP) is an 8.5 week program for newly hired administrative support staff. Participants are paid while they learn. After going through SCF’s New Hire Orientation for all employees, ASTP participants receive 3.5 weeks of professional development classroom training. This includes education about SCF, communication and conflict resolution training, training in professional administrative skills, and technical training.

After the classroom training is complete, ASTP participants receive 5 weeks of on-the-job training. Participants continue to learn from job-specific mentoring, coaching, and department training specific to administrative support responsibilities of the program or department they are placed in.

Once this training is complete, there is a progress review for each ASTP participant. If the participant, their ASTP supervisor, and their work site supervisor determine that they are a good fit for SCF, they are given the opportunity to transition into regular, full-time employment at SCF. From March 2021 to March 2022, a total of 156 ASTP placements were made at SCF. Many people who went through ASTP have stayed with SCF for long-term careers.

ASTP can be a first step on a career ladder for employees at SCF, since administrative support employees often have the opportunity to transition into other roles with more responsibilities. For example, SCF has three levels of administrative support positions, as well as two levels of Program Coordinator positions who provide advanced support to SCF departments. SCF has also implemented the Manager and Supervisor In-Training Program to train employees to take supervisory and management positions at SCF. Many people who have participated in the program began their careers at SCF through ASTP.

For more information about SCF’s ASTP program, feel free to contact the SCF Learning Institute.