When Nancy Doolittle, DNP, RN, decided to relocate to San Antonio from Georgia for a job at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, she was looking for something critical — to work for an employer that shared her own personal mission and values.
“I Iove having a purpose behind what I am doing,” she said.
Tyler Witges, MHA, MLS(ASCP), UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital laboratory operations director, relocated his family to the San Antonio area from Missouri in January because of his passion to serve.
“Knowing that the work that I do is to serve a greater good motivates me on a daily basis, as the decisions that I make not only impact our team, but they also impact our future patients,” he said.
Doolittle and Witges are not alone.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, employees are increasingly seeking personal fulfillment and increased value from their jobs, according to workplace research groups LinkedIn, Gallup and Gartner. This includes the feeling of a strong and shared purpose, one that is enacted upon beyond an inspirational mission statement. They want to be able to do what they do best, to share their talents and be stimulated and valued.
In addition to aligning with a personal mission, job stability and security also are vital factors driving satisfaction.
“UT Health San Antonio isn’t just growing, but it’s also thriving. There’s so much energy, so much happening,” Doolittle said. “The team here is just fantastic. Everyone is so engaged, so committed and so mission-driven. There are no ulterior motives. People are sincere in their desire to help people. Being part of that is an honor.”
UT Health San Antonio currently employs 8,500 people and is a significant contributor to the city’s economy. Over the next year, it will hire more than 1,000 employees, with about 800 dedicated to the university’s first hospital — San Antonio’s first cancer hospital.
“The trajectory of our institution, the positive momentum we’re experiencing, is incredible,” said University President William L. Henrich, MD, MACP.
The institution is planning nearly $1 billion in capital investments over the next 24-48 months, with $737 million slated for new construction, $49 million for renovations, $140 million for a new research building and $75 million for technology. In December, it will open the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, a $443 million facility that will deliver specialty surgeries and advanced cancer care including immunologic and stem cell therapies.
“At the core of our growth endeavors is our ongoing commitment to making lives better through excellence in education, research, health care and community engagement,” Henrich said. “What is at stake is human lives. People are depending on us.”
This commitment is something the institution’s employees, like Doolittle and Witges, stand behind and personify. In January, UT Health San Antonio earned a “Best Company Culture” award from Comparably, a national employer recruitment, culture and branding site. The institution was selected out of tens of thousands of large organizations based on real-time feedback from current employees on the job for over 12 months.
UT Health San Antonio was the only San Antonio-based name on the nationwide list of the top 100 highest-rated employers for company culture with more than 500 employees, and one of only 14 in Texas.
“This award is fitting recognition to honor the unique, mission-focused culture we have at our university,” said Andrea Marks, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of UT Health San Antonio. “Our employees are dedicated to our missions of education, health care, research and community and show their commitment every day in their hard work and passion in support of these important missions. We are all proud of the culture we have built at this university, and it is thanks to our amazing employees.”
It was the fourth award the institution has received from Comparably, after earning “Best Company for Diversity” in 2022, and “Best Company Outlook” and “Best Company Perks & Benefits” in 2023.
UT Health San Antonio also was recognized by Forbes as one of the best employers in America and as one of the top five best employers in Texas in health services for three years in a row, in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
When Doolittle joined the UT Health San Antonio team, she said she knew she was joining an institution that was special. As chief nursing officer of the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, she will be joined by foremost experts in cancer, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, thoracic surgery and more. Driven by groundbreaking research, the hospital will offer early-phase clinical trials and therapies that have never before been available in the South Texas region, many that are being developed in the research labs of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
“I think the research that is occurring on the university campus gives us the unique opportunity to incorporate research into health care and to be innovative and really be able to bring the very best practices to the bedside of patients,” she said.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the country’s leading health science universities with schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions, graduate biomedical sciences and public health. It is a primary driver of San Antonio’s $44.1 billion health care and biosciences sector and is the largest academic research institution in South Texas with an annual research portfolio of more than $400 million.
It has an annual expense budget of $1.46 billion, and its clinical practices provide 2.6 million patient visits each year.
Career opportunities span numerous professions including more than 380 positions for nurses, advanced practice providers and physicians. There also are 500 other medical, administrative, operational and support service job openings.
“I see nothing but potential for growth and advancement here,” Witges said. “Also, after understanding the growth of the San Antonio area, the opportunities for personal and professional growth exist as well. It is stirring.”
Doolittle said she feels rewarded with the work she’s able to do at the institution.
“It feels so good when you’re driving to work and you realize you’re happy and excited about what the day will bring. I think anyone who works here will find it to be a unique experience that they will find very rewarding. They’ll also find that they’re supported so they can be successful,” Doolittle said.
“I feel so blessed. I really do.”
To be part of this mission-driven institution and contribute to the critical work to make lives better, apply here: UT Health Careers.