“Wanna try?” My dad asked, extending his coffee mug my direction. I’d always watch my dad with unapologetic admiration as he sipped his cup of Yuban Gold. “What a man,” I thought privately. He had whiskers, watched the news, and drank his coffee black. A man I wanted to be.
“Yes, I want to try.” I responded nonchalantly, tamping down my true elation. In my mind, that single sip was a right of passage. At seven years old, I felt this sip would make me a man! But, that sip wasn’t what I thought. The second that coffee hit my tongue I felt my face contort. I squinted my eyes and forced myself to swallow the heinous liquid inside my mouth. It was bitter.
In-service can raise some bitter feelings. “What a bore fest. They’ll pull me from my patient. Stay after my shift? Come in on my day off?” Training by an IMS Trainer isn’t like one might expect. The IMS training team offers something different, something better.
Your IMS Trainer is a skilled educator concerned with staff’s understanding of the respective system. Training materials are customized for your facility, your staff, and your setting. We deliver the material systematically to promote comprehension while promoting participation and interaction with material to aid in the various adult learning styles. Our trainer knows what your time is worth, so they make certain the content is valuable.
Now, hearing information and knowing information are two separate things. Just ask your trainer, they all have children, some have grandchildren. The trainer knows that keeping the attention of their student for any amount of time requires an element of engagement. This is what makes our training team special. Each trainer brings a unique sense of humor to each session and they use relatable stories to teach critical practices. Hands on learning tools are prepared before every session which encourage students to participate rather then spectate. They often receive the same feedback from their students. “Thanks for making that fun…” Those five words never get old.
Of course, you can get more use out of your trainer than mere in-service. They know you’ll have user related questions and need reminders about your system well into the future. So, they are just a phone call or an email away. Your trainers are eagerly waiting to pass on their expertise. When you connect with your trainer, chances are you’ll recognize their voice and they’ll recognize yours. That’s because your trainer strives to maintain a relationship with your team through periodic contact and occasional stop-ins. The training team won’t forget you and hope you won’t forget them.
Today, I’ve embraced coffee. The beverage and I became better acquainted through the early work days and all-night cram sessions of young adulthood. In-service might leave a bad taste in your mouth but don’t deny it until you’ve worked with an IMS trainer. Embrace the training team. Invite them to conduct a refresher course. Work with them to establish your initial system training before Go Live. Trust me, it will be great!
Jeff Smalla, Corporate Trainer, 6 years
How has your job changed or evolved since working here? We have added several new systems to our training repertoire over the past 6 years (Wander Guard Blue, Hugs Wi-Fi, RTLS).
What is your favorite part of your job? I love walking away from a hospital after Go Live seeing well-trained confident users who are excited and thoroughly enjoying “the new car smell” of their new Patient Security System (PSS).
What is the most challenging part of your job? The customers we work with are very successful, busy managers and staff. It can be challenging to get them to slow down and carve out time to plan to have all their staff at training. But investing a small amount of time planning for training leads to big returns! 
Favorite memory of working at IMS? I was pleasantly caught off guard on Go Live day when a Nurse Manager was so overjoyed with her new Hugs system that she grabbed her leadership team, shoved a camera in my hand and said with an enthusiastic huge smile, “Here, take a picture of us with our new Hugs system!!”
What is special about IMS? Or what do we offer our customers that other companies don’t? At IMS, we show up! While we offer the full array of online and web-based training opportunities, we always prefer to see staff members face to face, answer questions in-person and provide hands-on learning opportunities. Our training is designed by educators to be both technically and educationally solid.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I love hanging out with my grandchildren and children more than anything in the world! When I cannot be with them, I love to travel near and far.
What is one interesting fact about yourself? I’ve visited five continents so far and hope to make it to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Kyle Jones, Corporate Trainer, 2 Years 
What is your favorite part of your job? I really enjoy interacting with and getting to know hospital staff. Sometimes work brings me far from home. So, after a day of training I like to explore those points of historical significance unique to every town.
What is one thing you want our customers to know about our training process? We are the best. I say that with a clear conscience. No where else will you receive the personal and personable training IMS has to offer. Again, the information received in any given training session is valuable, critical, and backed by experience.
What is one thing customers could do to help with the training process? Be there. You’ll be using your patient security system for years to come, but that first hour, training, is by far the most critical. Using a system to protect your patients isn’t of much help if you don’t know how to use it.
Favorite memory of working at IMS? Celebrating our company’s 30th birthday with the IMS team was great. IMS has a great group of families. Everybody I work beside is genuine and a lot of fun.
What is special about IMS? You know that person on your team that just stands out? They work hard. They do their job well. They know their information. They are gifted at what they do. They are your “go to.” That is everybody at IMS. You can expect great service with every interaction.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I’m a Youth Pastor at a small church here in Michigan. I love my wife and children; they keep me busy.
What is one interesting fact about yourself? I enjoy vanilla ice cream.
Jodi Mikel, Our Newest Trainer
What are you most excited about since starting at IMS? My life has been on fast forward since beginning my employment with IMS - I cannot believe it has already been 2 months! I am excited to learn as much as I can while travelling to our sites and training hospital staff. There will be so many people and so many towns and so many stories – I am excited to soak it all in!
What value does IMS bring to the market? IMS approaches the industry with such high standards and detailed design for each individual site. In a world with so many moving parts, IMS is uniquely positioned to help institutions integrate their services and technology in a way that will make a significant impact on their organizations. IMS brings big picture solutions where many are selling short-term, quick fixes and once you factor in our options for live training and on-going support, it is hard to find anyone else in the industry who is able and willing to do what IMS has been perfecting for years.
What is something you taught yourself lately? I wish my answer was something fun like, rock climbing or Chinese or pottery or archeology – but what I have been learning lately is all about college entrance and graduation planning. My firstborn is graduating high school in May!
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? So many things! I do some work with a company that is addressing the issue of sex-trafficking, I have met so many amazing people doing this and am grateful to be in the fight. I have FIVE incredible kids and I love spending time with them (and I love going on dates with their dad without them!) I lead a women’s ministry team and love the time mentoring and brainstorming up crazy and new ideas. I like to write. I like the beach. I like to sit by the fire. I like to laugh with friends. I like to road trip with my family.
What is one interesting fact about yourself? While we were dating I told my now-husband that I didn’t want any children. It was nearly a deal breaker for him– but he decided he wanted me more than he wanted kids. I was pregnant 18 months after we were married.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Salad Bar. Which I realize is kind of a cop out answer because you can make a salad be a million different things! It’s my favorite though – for all the wrong reasons…dressing…croutons…cheese….
What was the last really great book you read? I read through the Game of Thrones series in about 2 months time – now I sit with the rest of the world, waiting for the next…
Have you ever won anything? I once won a DVD at a movie marathon – which was a mixed-bag, because I was at a showing of Twilight back to back to back to back and I was a little embarrassed I was there – when they called my name I had to stand up in front of everyone and own my shame. (I feel its only right to admit that my shame was short-lived, and I returned the following year to watch all five in a row….as an intelligent, grown-up woman…. inexplainable to even me…. however, I would definitely do it again!)
Which superhuman power do you wish you had? Is there a bravery superpower? – I would like that one – The one that makes me fearless, that would be the best.
