Puppy love: Heart and Vascular Institute staff members enjoy Puppy Hugging event
It’s no secret that man’s best friend is a dog. How about a puppy for professional development? Approximately 50 employees from the Heart and Vascular Institute Critical Care Unit HVICCU at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center enjoyed a Puppy Hugging event on Oct. 22. They pet and hugged future service dogs on the Hershey campus.
Penn State Health’s Human Resources (HR) Center for Learning and Leadership Development sponsored the event in partnership with HVICCU nursing leaders and Susquehanna Service Dogs. A program of Keystone Human Services, Susquehanna Service Dogs breeds, raises, trains and places service dogs to support individuals with disabilities.
“We held this event to show our appreciation to staff, create engagement and simply bring joy to the workplace,” said Amanda Hulse, an HR organizational development specialist. “It gave staff members a chance to take a break from their day-to-day activities and connect with a puppy. Studies have shown that hugging an animal can help lower stress and create a calm environment.”
Hulse has partnered with HVICCU nursing leaders on other professional development activities for their staff, including leadership workshops and multidisciplinary development initiatives.
“This Puppy Hugging event fit into the employee engagement portion of the strategic plan,” she said. “Training isn’t always the solution to help employees learn and grow in their career. It’s a piece of the overall strategic approach to professional development.”
The Puppy Hugging event provided another important benefit ― helping the future service dogs become more acclimated to people. Afterward, HVICCU nursing leadership expressed their appreciation to Susquehanna Service Dogs with a $200 donation.
The HR Center for Learning and Leadership Development offers a variety of other professional development opportunities to Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine employees. Managers can contact their Organizational Development Consultant for information.
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