New program empowers employees to advance their careers

Leslie Arango got the first and most prized commodity on her wish list — weekends with her 12-year-old daughter — when she was selected in early fall 2024 as one of three participants in Montage Health’s new clinical career program.

Professional development for Montage Health employees

Montage Health's clinical career program, funded by philanthropic support through Montage Health Foundation, enables staff to attend school and stop working while still receiving pay and benefits. Participants attend two-year accredited clinical healthcare programs in typically hard-to-fill jobs, empowering staff while at the same time helping to fill critical healthcare roles and increase access to care.

“Before I started the program, I was in the first year of school,” says Arango, a Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula radiology technologist aide pursuing a degree in nuclear medicine technology. “I was taking classes online and working weekends to make up that time.”

Her daughter would go to an after-school program and wait for her dad or Arango’s parents to pick her up.

“It felt terrible as a parent,” says Arango, the primary caregiver for her daughter. “I would get that mom guilt. I was doing my best so I could make a good living later on, but it was really hard.”

Arango’s selection represented a monumental, generational shift for her, the oldest of five children who watched her parents work multiple jobs to support the family.

“Listening to my parents talk about the struggles and going through things, you don’t want to be stuck in that same situation,” Arango says. “They said, ‘Don’t be like us. Don’t struggle having to work two jobs or jobs that don’t pay you enough to live.’”

Our goal for each employee in our organization is for them to be able to reach their highest potential while working here.
— Greg Smorzewski, Chief Human Resources Officer, Montage Health

Investing in a local healthcare workforce

The clinical career program was also a boon for Bradley Enea and Joshua Hernandez, the two other participants selected in the inaugural offering.

The timing was spot-on for Hernandez. He and his wife welcomed their first child on November 14, 2024 — a healthy 7-pound, 5-ounce baby girl. Presently an emergency services technician in the hospital’s Emergency department, Hernandez is working toward becoming a cardiac ultrasound technician.

Enea, a pharmacy technician at the hospital, started attending Hartnell College’s two-year nursing program in August 2024 with plans to return to Montage Health when he graduates.

Career advancement for Montage Health staff members

“Our goal for each employee in our organization is for them to be able to reach their highest potential while working here,” says Greg Smorzewski, Montage Health’s chief human resources officer and clinical career program co-founder, along with Eric LoMonaco, Montage Health’s director of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology.

“By essentially paying employees to go back to school,” Smorzewski says, “they have peace of mind while they work to achieve their goals and advance into positions that are sometimes difficult for us to fill. I couldn’t be happier that we are helping employees pursue their dreams while at the same time keeping our community healthy by having the best workforce in Monterey County.”

Arango plans to return to Montage Health once she graduates and passes the board exams. For now, though, she is celebrating being part of the clinical career program, particularly on weekends. Arango and her daughter love spending their time together — movies, walks, dinners out.

“I think it’s helped our relationship improve,” Arango says. “Before, there were times when she said, ‘You never spend time with me.’ And I would tell her, ‘I know, but this will help us later on. We’ll be able to do a lot more.’”