News Releases

Memorial Hermann Launches New Tuition Reimbursment Program

Houston, Texas, July 24, 2006 – Memorial Hermann Healthcare System has launched an aggressive new tuition reimbursement plan that will greatly benefit its 17,000 Houston-area employees. Effective immediately, employees may be reimbursed up to $7,500 per semester when seeking a higher education, more than double the level of reimbursement for tuition previously offered by the hospital system.

“We want to do everything we can whenever we can to be the place where the best people want to work and the best physicians want to practice,” said Memorial Hermann President and CEO Dan Wolterman.

The innovative tuition reimbursement plan is expected to significantly impact patient care. Research shows that when employees feel satisfied with their careers, patient satisfaction rates also improve.  Wolterman added, “This breakthrough in our benefits plan is a huge boost to our employees who want to pursue a degree in health care or business. It is one way that we can say ‘thank you’ for the compassionate and competent work they do day in and day out.”

The benefit is now available to every level of employee from patient care techs to people pursuing their MBAs. Both part-time and full-time employees can apply for as much as $5,000 per semester in tuition reimbursement when enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Employees pursuing a Master’s in Nursing or a Master’s in Business Administration degree will now be eligible for as much as $7,500 per semester. All other non-clinical positions will be reimbursed up to $2,000 per semester.

“Our expanded Tuition Reimbursement program is another proactive approach that Memorial Hermann is taking to address the continuing nursing shortage,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Doug Beckstett. “Many of our employees want to advance into higher levels of specialized nursing or administration but lack the resources to take that
step. Now we are providing financial assistance to ambitious employees who want to seek a first or second degree. This program appeals to a significant number of our employees—from entry-level technicians and coders to mid-level patient care assistants and experienced LVNs and RNs.”

Hundreds of employees have taken advantage of the Tuition Reimbursement plan over the past several years. With more employees now eligible and the dollar amounts more than doubled, Wolterman expects many more employees to take advantage of this education benefit over the coming years.