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Culture Change RX host Sue Tetzlaff converses with guest Christen Tenbusch of Covenant Healthcare about employee engagement examples and impact. They discuss the evolution of employee experience and patient experience, the empowerment of staff through focus groups, and the significance of creating a safe space for dialogue. Christin shares insights on flipping the hierarchy to empower staff, the impact of language in leadership, and the challenges of recruitment and retention in the healthcare sector. The conversation also touches on effective onboarding strategies and the necessity of engaging the C-suite in these initiatives to foster a positive organizational culture.

• Engaging employees is crucial for improving patient experience.
• Focus groups empower staff and enhance their engagement.
• Creating a safe space for dialogue fosters trust and communication.
• Flipping the hierarchy allows frontline staff to guide decisions.
• Language matters; changing terms can improve buy-in from staff.
• Behavior standards that are employee created are met with better acceptance.
• Growth and development opportunities are essential for retention.
• Recruitment challenges persist, especially in nursing and entry-level positions.
• Onboarding processes that include a phased approach can meet each new employees' unique needs.

We’re stepping forward in a bigger way—growing our team of rural healthcare experts, growing our capabilities by adding a strategic planning division … all of this so we can expand our ability to help even more rural hospitals and other small healthcare organizations in 2026. … We’d love to explore how we can support your organization in being the provider- and employer-of-choice so you can keep care local and margins strong! Learn more at CaptoneLeadership.net

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

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3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.