Big as Texas: Cook Children’s Workforce Sees Expansive Growth
The 30-bed baby hospital that opened in Fort Worth on March 21, 1918, evolved into the world-class Cook Children’s Health Care System.
To keep pace with our growth -- in facilities, services, technology, research and more -- the workforce has grown dramatically too, especially in the last decade. In 2016, the employee total was 4,021. This year, the workforce reached 10,547 and counting as of March 1.
The 108th birthday of Cook Children’s is an occasion to celebrate the team members who make up the organization. Our employees show up each day dedicated to excellence in pediatric health care, delivered with kindness, imagination and collaboration.
One of the longest-tenured employees, nurse practitioner Ginny Ciriot, has worked in different roles over the past 49 years. Ginny currently sees patients at Cook Children’s Pediatrics Burleson. Many things have changed since she started on Sept. 5, 1976, at what was then called Fort Worth Children’s Hospital.
But if you ask Ginny what hasn’t changed at Cook Children’s over the decades, she’ll tell you the mission stays the same: “Having our eyes on the true goal of helping and managing simple to complex issues.”
From new hires to those who’ve hit big anniversary milestones, the workforce at Cook Children’s is made up of a diverse array of jobs. Here’s a snapshot of the employees under the Blue Peaks.
Rooted in Cowtown
The legacy of Cook Children’s starts with Fort Worth Free Baby Hospital, the hospital that in 1918 began treating infants and toddlers without regard for the family’s ability to pay for care. The name changed to Fort Worth Children’s Hospital when services were added for older children and adolescents.
Meanwhile, the W. I. Cook Memorial Hospital had opened in 1929. Prompted by the polio epidemic, the hospital revamped its mission to focus on the needs of children. Its name changed to Cook Children’s Hospital.
Those two Fort Worth hospitals merged in 1985. A new facility, now known as Cook Children’s Medical Center, was built. Another milestone came in 1995 with creation of the Cook Children’s Health Care System. Today the system encompasses two medical centers in Fort Worth and Prosper, physician network, surgery centers, child study center, health plan, home health company and health foundation.
Fun Facts
Employees at Cook Children’s range in age from 18-83 years. Professional staff make up the biggest demographic. But the job titles cover a wide range of clinical and nonclinical duties. A few examples:
patient care (physician, nurse, therapist, pharmacist) family support (interpreter, chaplain, lactation consultant, librarian)
behind the scenes (lab scientist, donor relations, purchasing buyer, compliance auditor)
employee support (respiratory mask fitter, benefits analyst, concierge)
technology (cybersecurity, coding analyst, database architect)
property and maintenance (electrician, real estate, equipment distribution, parking services attendant, shuttle driver)
unique roles (yoga therapist, travel agent, recording studio producer, facility dog handler)
Geographically, the spread of employees reaches across the Metroplex and beyond in neighborhood health centers, urgent care centers and primary care physician offices. About 55% of the overall workforce is located at the Fort Worth Medical Center. The next biggest group is the Physician Network with 21% of all employees.
Far and wide, Cook Children’s Home Health employees work out of Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio in addition to Fort Worth. West Texas locations of Cook Children’s include specialty offices in Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland and San Angelo.
Carrying on the Legacy
Suzanne Seider, director of Talent Acquisition, started at Cook Children’s in 2008, when the organization had 3,300 employees. Opening the Medical Center in Prosper, along with new primary care offices in the northern region, fueled the need for ramped-up hiring in recent years.
“The biggest growing pain has been maintaining our culture as we spread out further from Fort Worth,” Suzanne said. “We want everyone to feel the magic at Cook Children’s.”
And the success in the North Texas area is proof that the culture and magic has been maintained throughout the system. More than 300,000 kids have been cared for across the northern region.
The Prosper medical center begin hiring in early 2022 and successfully hired more than 400 employees in one of the most competitive hiring markets for health care professionals in the country.
But once they were hired, the new employees learned more than just where to report for work. Depending on their position, new employees spent between two weeks to three months onboarding at our Fort Worth campus so they could experience the workplace culture first-hand.
“It was amazing to see how excited people were about wanting to join our team and to be a part of the Cook Children’s family,” Kevin Greene, MHA, President of Cook Children's Medical Center - Prosper said. “I have no doubt our culture as an organization and our commitment to every child played a critical role in each individual’s decision to be a part of this next chapter for the health care system.”
As the workforce climbs closer to the 11,000 mark, recruiters continue to search out qualified applicants to fill open positions. Suzanne said her team looks for people with the skills and mindset to help keep the Cook Children’s Promise to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities.
“The ideal candidate will be collaborative, flexible and adaptable, who always has a smile for everyone,” she said.
Ginny worked as NICU nurse, NICU educator, director of education, medical floor director and clinical nurse advisor before becoming a nurse practitioner. With more than 49 years of Cook Children’s experience under her belt, she advises her colleagues to check out the opportunities Cook Children’s offers for professional growth. Discover the career path you want to explore.
“When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life,” she said.