When Anne Marie Referred Alexandra…

It Was a Win-Win! Anne Marie Got an Employee Referral Bonus and Alexandra Got a More Flexible Schedule

One of the best ways that VNS Health hires clinicians and home health aides is through referrals from our own team members. All referrals are welcome—whether you’re referring a relative, a family friend (as in the story below), a colleague you used to work with or someone in your professional network, or even a casual acquaintance. As you’ll see in the following story, it’s easy to refer someone—and get this: If that person is hired, you could receive a bonus for as much as $7,000!  To learn more and to find out how to make a referral, click here.

To help inspire you, Frontline is introducing a new series: Win-Win Referrals!

The Team Members:

Anne Marie Manzi, RN, BSN, VNS Health Health Plans, Associate Director, Medical Management, Care Management

Alexandra Shock, RN, VNS Health Home Care, Staten Island Branch 1

The Backstory:

Anne Marie: “I’ve known Alexandra for a very long time. She grew up with my kids—they were in a children’s bowling league together. I remained Facebook friends with her mother, so I noticed the family’s milestones, like when Alexandra graduated from nursing school a few years ago. So I knew that she’d become an RN.

The whole referral experience was quite effortless on my part. It was her mom who did the actual outreach to me because Alexandra was looking for work in Staten Island. I’ve been at VNS Health since 2008, and I worked in home care for 15 years prior to that—so I’m very familiar with the work and that world, and I have working relationships with many teams within VNS Health. I just connected Alexandra with the recruiter and the VNS Health Home Care manager who works with the Staten Island team, and I let them take it from there.”

Alexandra: “I asked my mom to reach out because I was too shy and scared to contact Anne Marie myself! But then we exchanged some emails, and Anne Marie gave me lots of information about VNS Health. I’d been working the night shift at a nursing home, and I had absolutely no work/life balance. I slept during the day, and it was as if I was existing in a different time zone. I was like a walking zombie when I was with my friends and family. So I really wanted to give home care a try.”

How’s It Going?

Anne Marie: “I’ve gotten positive feedback about Alexandra, so I know things are going well. I sent her a welcome-aboard email when she joined VNS Health, and then I checked in with her a month later—but after that I backed out. It’s about her, her manager, and her career now.”

Alexandra: “I love my job, and I just celebrated my one-year anniversary! When I was considering leaving the nursing home, people tried to warn me against home care because of all the paperwork and the idea of going into strangers’ homes. It’s true that there is a lot of paperwork, but I have so much more flexibility now! Some days are hectic, while on other days I’m done with work at 2:00 p.m. I love spending time with my patients. Most of them are elderly, and I learn so much about them and their lives. It’s so much more personal; you feel like you’re a part of their family, and they have so much gratitude toward us nurses. I also take much better care of myself now. I’m making time for family and doctor’s appointments, and I’m not tired all the time anymore.

Final Thoughts:

Alexandra: Even though I’m technically on my own out in the field, help is always just a phone call away. I always feel like I’m part of a team, and I feel so much more supported here than I did at the nursing home where I worked before. Home care is such rewarding and amazing work—I’m so glad to be at VNS Health!

Anne Marie: I’m so glad I was able to connect Alexandra with VNS Health. I truly love working at VNS Health, and I wish I knew more nurses who were looking to do this kind of work so I could refer them as well. This organization has always been the gold standard for health care and home care—we help people from the earliest stages of life, all the way through to palliative care and hospice care at the end of life. It really is a great place to be!