Employee Benefits and Advantages

5-Minute Meditations

Access a variety of mindful videos/meditations available on demand. The videos offer various stress management strategies that can be applied every day.

ACE Program (ASK – CARE-ESCORT)

Staff suicide prevention program. Learning Module: “Suicide Prevention/ACE” Basic and Advanced formats.

Capital EAP (Employee Assistance Program)

Our partnership with Capital EAP gives our workforce free and confidential access to counseling and support sessions, a 24-hour crisis hotline, legal and financial referrals, and more.

Capital Region Employer Resource Network (CRERN)

Provides assistance to those needing support navigating life circumstances. CRERN Success Coaches work closely with Capital EAP to provide a comprehensive support network.

Communication Skills Fair

Offered semi-annually or quarterly with a focus on communication basics and conflict management.

Crisis Assessment Management & Prevention (CAMP)

One eight-hour class with training from the NYS Office of Mental Health on self-regulation, de-escalation (verbal and non-verbal), patient-centered care, difficult populations, physical maneuvers for safety, Code 10 protocols, SIT protocol and charting, lateral violence prevention, and Code Silver training.

Employee “Map Walk”

Provides an easy means to map walking routes at work or home.

A Lesson of Hope: A Discussion of Values and Meaning in Moral Adversity

An in-person discussion of values, virtues and personal meaning to assist in coping with situations of moral adversity and distress.

Medical Society of New York’s Peer to Peer Program (MSSNY P2P)

Program offered to physicians, residents, and medical students to talk with a peer about life stressors.

Mindful Meditation

A weekly 15-minute guided mindful meditation session offered through Albany Medical Center's Spiritual Care.

Nurse Residency Program

Seven four-hour sessions for new nurse graduates that focus on holistic wellbeing and professional growth of newly licensed registered nurses. Provides new graduate RNs with tools and strategies for building moral resilience.

Nursing Room for Moms

Located on the Main Campus. Available 24/7 for working moms who are nursing their infants.

Spiritual Care

For our staff, Spiritual Care offers a non-judgmental listening ear, support for stress, assistance for those struggling with emotional or spiritual issues, and help for those struggling with the loss of a patient or loved one.

Pet Therapy

Our therapy dogs are trained to engage with staff for the purpose of stress and tension reduction. Therapy is offered to individual staff as well as in a group setting.

Resident Professional Wellbeing Program

Resident Wellbeing Committee, EMed group session, Peds group session, drop-in counseling, community wellbeing sessions, wellbeing video series, disability support group.

Schwartz Rounds

Held every month, the program offers all staff a regularly scheduled time to openly and honestly discuss the social and emotional issues of daily work. Leaders in various fields, clinical and non-clinical, participate in the sessions which are held in a confidential and structured environment. After listening to panelists’ share their stories/experiences, attendees are invited to share their own perspectives.

Seen, Heard, and Validated

A short intervention that assists with developing cohesion which is the bond of confidence among those in a nursing unit. Encourages mutual trust and interdependency among staff whose collective skills are needed to successfully take care of patients as well as support each other.

Self-Regulation Skills: Interoceptive and Emotional Awareness

Ten-minute education teaches individuals to regulate themselves by bringing awareness to their bodily sensations, named emotions, and breathing for calmness. The actual intervention takes about one to two minutes and is designed for staff to use during initial huddle and any time they feel stressed.

Smoking and Tobacco Cessation

Albany Medical Center is committed to helping staff, students and volunteers quit tobacco use by providing a variety of opportunities for education and assistance.

One-on-One: Meet with a facilitator at your convenience for information, support and referrals tailored to your individual needs. Appointments are available days, evenings, nights and weekends.

90-minute workshops provide an overview of the quit process. The session includes a 60-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute question and answer period. Workshops are scheduled by request.

Longer term classes are available to small groups (up to 15). These classes provide more time to discuss topics such as medications, weight gain and stress management. The group format also provides peer support. Classes are presented in four sessions over three weeks and are scheduled by request.

Staff Training Services: Individual training or unit/department wide in-services are available covering any topic related to treating tobacco use and dependence.

Student Professional Wellbeing Program

Student Wellbeing Committee, wellbeing series Mondays/Wednesdays, drop-in counseling, mentoring program, wellbeing leadership utilizing Stanford Model to map programming, wellbeing video series, disability support group.

Support Our Staff (S.O.S.)

The S.O.S. team provides spiritual and emotional support to Albany Medical Center colleagues during difficult times or when they or their department are experiencing a crisis or stress.

Team Debriefing – Infant Loss

Team debriefing occurs following all neonatal deaths. This includes monthly (or bi-weekly) sessions with all team members involved with the loss of the infant’s life, also including families. The team commemorates these lives with a symbolic Tree of Life displayed by staff.

Unit Based Support Group

Provides a standardized guidance for creating a formal staff support group within a unit. Staff members are empowered to be responsible for leading their own group once the structure is developed.