Elissa McLean Hughes
Human Resources Professional, CPHR
Dartmouth,NS
Summary
Experienced leader with a background in guiding teams through complex problems within a unionized healthcare environment, and working closely with union representatives to achieving strategic objectives. Excels in developing efficient processes, setting high standards, and aligning efforts with organizational goals. Known for my ability to identify and include key stakeholders to gain all perspectives prior to implementing changes.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
6074
6074
years of post-secondary education
5
5
Certifications
2
2
Languages
Work History
Recruitment Advisor – People Services
Nova Scotia Health
01.2024 - Current
- Collaboration with hiring managers to create job postings, evaluate candidates, and extend offers in accordance with collective agreements.
- This role also includes providing educational sessions to hiring managers on software system navigation and recruitment practices as well as education to HRBP’s and prospective employees on pay scale placement, compensation rationality and additional recruitment knowledge that will be useful to union representatives in their dealings with questions/concerns and grievances navigation.
- Built relationships with current and prospective employees across 8 NSH recruitment events by leveraging industry knowledge to educate and promoting the benefits of working with NSH.
- Shared personal accounts of working in both public and private sectors as well as unionized and non-unionized environment.
- Identified gaps in resource materials and communicated this feedback to management with the goal of optimizing recruitment practices.
- Invited by management to participate in a Quality Review Pilot Project, to improve data-entry consistency.
Human Resources Assistant – Research, Innovation, and Discovery
Nova Scotia Health
01.2023 - 01.2024
- Responsibility to educate hiring managers and incentive recipients on payments, return of service agreements and MOA terms and conditions, and maintaining accurate candidate records throughout the hiring process.
- Identified gaps in payments to education incentive recipients.
- Collaborated with Accounts Payable, resulting in students meeting tuition payment deadlines and avoiding late-payment penalties.
- Selected to join the Nursing Retention Project to meet a tight deadline, resulting in the personal review of 412 applications across 10 days.
- Identified incorrect information as well as grammatical errors in onboarding documents and brought this to the attention of our team consultant.
- Appointed to review and improve process documents, resulting in concise and accurate messaging.
- Selected to serve as a preceptor role for new staff member who was hired to support the Director of Human Resources, RID.
Team Leader – Department of Medicine
Nova Scotia Health
01.2017 - 01.2023
- Operationalized staff and resources to meet the daily clinical, organizational, and administrative divisional needs within a complex unionized environment.
- In this role I managed financial accounts, and supported the advancement of strategic priorities including succession planning, and leveraging multiple collective agreements to address staff questions.
- Nominated for the annual Team Lead award by two divisional staff including Dr. Chris MacKnight.
- Led conflict resolution meetings between physician and admin staff.
- Received positive feedback re: delivered tailored communications to various stakeholders.
- Served as main support to staff navigating the union grievances process.
- Invited union representatives to meet our team on-site, resulting in relationship building and increased knowledge of union processes.
- Proposed changes to interview guide questions and scoring weights which were ultimately accepted.
- Developed, implemented, and coached a multidisciplinary team through an accelerated operational change and process re-design.
- Created written and visual training manuals for divisional use, resulting in successful orientation, work accuracy and retention of new staff.
- Led working group sessions on software programs, resulting in increased technological skills and 4 admins securing executive positions with NSH, as outlined in their annual performance review goals.
- Generated and interpreted statistical reports resulting in identification of errors and additional clerk training.
- Conceptualized and implemented the use of ‘cheat sheets’ to reduce booking errors and patient no shows.
- Hired PhD conflict resolution specialists to support staff in their conflicts with management resulting in increased skill set in navigating challenging personality traits and behavior.
- Initiated a quality review of waitlisted patients, resulting in the identification of errors.
- Task-charted administrative and clerical duties to identify and eliminate duplication of work.
- Sought out and purchased the MBA tool resulting in improved employee morale based on employee feedback.
- Recruited ~15 participants per Public Health Series session, which landed a publication in the 2019 QEII Times.
- Promoted to provide out-of-office coverage for the Geriatric Assessor role, with responsibility to manage inpatient consultation requests via the NSH paging system.
CSW
Federal Corrections
01.2009 - 01.2019
- While on duty I ensured compliance with Corrections Service Canada policies and procedures while independently supervising up to 20 federal offenders on parole, reviewed cases, provided written recommendations, worked closely with Halifax Regional Police, and supported on-duty staff with decision-making.
- Promoted to carry out 24/7 on-call responsibilities to answer on-duty staff questions related to Corrections Canada policies and procedures and advise on appropriate action to take, determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Selected to train new staff.
- Contributed to a 92% success rate of offender’s re-integration to independent community living.
- Promoted to review and assess offenders’ criminal cases and provide my written recommendation to the Director of Community Corrections.
- Successfully handed heavy workload including the personal review of 180 criminal case reports.
Manager
Ronald McDonald House Charities Atlantic
01.2009 - 01.2017
- Independently managed business operations within a 16-room facility and worked closely with IWK Social Workers.
- Optimized check in/out procedures by transitioning from paper to electronic processes.
- Built successful community partnerships to support RMH priorities/initiatives.
- Personally fundraised $2,000 for RMH initiatives via the annual Bluenose Marathon event.
- Successfully trained new staff and volunteer teams resulting in 90% annual retention rate.
Addictions Counselor – Internship
Nova Scotia Health
01.2009 - 12.2009
- Worked with a multidisciplinary team to deliver a 6-week structured live-in addictions treatment program which included both individuals and group therapy components.
- Developed and delivered a program critique to a team of Nurses, Social Workers, and Program Managers including recommendations for additional topics (the psychology of defense mechanisms) which were adopted into future programming.
- Demonstrated successful use of motivational interviewing techniques to keep client engagement throughout therapy.
Education
Chartered Professional in Human Resources Designation -
CPHR Nova Scotia
BBA - Strategic Human Resource Management
Mount Saint Vincent University
Halifax, NS04.2025
Business Administration Diploma - Business Management
Nova Scotia Community College
Halifax, NS04.2020
Manager Fundamentals Certificate Program - undefined
Nova Scotia Health
Human Services Diploma - Addictions Counseling
Nova Scotia Community College
Bachelor of Arts Degree - Psychology
Saint Mary’s University
Skills
- Powtoon
- Task Charting
- Infinity Web
- Cloud Computing
- ESS
- MS Project
- SAP
- Data Analysis
- MAP
- Process Mapping
- Time Capture
- Email and Calendar Management
- Google Workspace
- PowerPoint
- Virtual Platform Troubleshooting
- Nightingale
Certification
Standard First Aid AED CPR C
Personal Information
Typing Speed: 100 WPM
Timeline
Recruitment Advisor – People Services
Nova Scotia Health
01.2024 - Current
Human Resources Assistant – Research, Innovation, and Discovery
Nova Scotia Health
01.2023 - 01.2024
Team Leader – Department of Medicine
Nova Scotia Health
01.2017 - 01.2023
CSW
Federal Corrections
01.2009 - 01.2019
Manager
Ronald McDonald House Charities Atlantic
01.2009 - 01.2017
Addictions Counselor – Internship
Nova Scotia Health
01.2009 - 12.2009
Manager Fundamentals Certificate Program - undefined
Nova Scotia Health
Human Services Diploma - Addictions Counseling
Nova Scotia Community College
Bachelor of Arts Degree - Psychology
Saint Mary’s University
Chartered Professional in Human Resources Designation -
CPHR Nova Scotia
BBA - Strategic Human Resource Management
Mount Saint Vincent University
Business Administration Diploma - Business Management
Nova Scotia Community College
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