When Staff Sergeant Tim Naylor finished nine years as an Army aviation crew member in late 2005, he was ready to pursue his culinary dream. After working his way up from a waiter to manager of a 300-seat restaurant, he felt something was missing. Naylor got a nudge from his wife and an idea that his service record could work in his favor. “I was motivated, but she helped me find my way,” he said. One of the things he found was a job fair for veterans at Penn Medicine, which led to an entry-level job as a secretary in Social Work.
Naylor had started college when he was younger but had long put off going back. It’s not easy going to school and working full-time with a young family. The Health System’s commitment to education, including tuition reimbursement, convinced him to go back.
With help from Penn, he completed the bachelor’s degree in business management at Drexel University that he’d started back in 1992. He stayed in the make-time-for-schoolwork groove and earned an MBA in Healthcare Administration from Ohio University in 2018.
Naylor went to school while working at different roles in the Health System. In addition to his role as secretary, he served as a patient services associate, new patient coordinator and is now the administrative manager for an outpatient medical practice. “It’s the same type of function a manager would perform outside of health care,” Naylor said. “It’s keeping the ball moving forward so that the people who went to school for the clinical specialties – the nursing staff, the doctors — are able to continue to see patients without any hiccups or delays.”
“Tim has brought such an array of talent to his latest role here in IR Radiology. He has a strong skill set from his well-earned degrees, and a life experience that stops him at nothing,” said Ann Costello MS, RT, corporate director of UPHS Radiology. “He is a fresh set of eyes looking at long standing processes to innovate in any way possible to establish a better patient experience.”
For the first time since his days in the armed services, he believes he is utilizing important skills. “When you’re in the Army, you have all this responsibility, and then you get out and you’re stocking shelves. It’s difficult.”
Catherine Lisacchi, who oversees the tuition benefits program for Penn, knows the struggles would-be students face, especially those with families trying to make ends meet. “I’ve seen people who have kids in college and are going [to school] at the same time as them,” Lissachi said. “The real reward is seeing the accomplishment, gaining something they always wanted.”
Most people expect the additional education will lead to an automatic advancement in their work status, but Lisacchi emphasized that it takes more than that. “In Tim’s situation, he moved into a management role, but he worked for it,” she said. “The education is a definite benefit. You get more tools, but there is no guarantee that you’ll move up in your job. You have to work at it.”
Naylor said entering the work force is challenging coming from the armed services. Almost everyone is grateful for people who serve in the military, but not everyone in a position to make a difference takes the extra step. That’s where Naylor believes Penn Medicine sets itself apart. “A lot of people talk the talk,” he said. “You hear a lot of ‘Oh, thank you for your service,’ things like that, but they rarely take the time to identify what special skill sets you bring to the table.”
For more information about the Veterans Care Excellence Program, contact Paula Crawford-Gamble, MSN, CRNP, Penn Medicine Veterans Care Concierge liaison, at paula.crawford-gamble@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or call 215-220-9566. To learn more about education resources available to employees, including the tuition benefit, speak to your local HR business partner.