Tom B. has made a career of serving others. From a young age, Tom has been passionate about building relationships and making an impact on the people around him – and he has proven that you don’t need to follow a typical career path to do so.
Tom’s career began with his service in the United States Marine Corps as a Recon Marine, where he began to develop some of the major values that have carried him throughout his life: teamwork, service, and ambition. Being a Marine taught him to think of others above himself and to inspire the people around him with courage and strength. According to Tom, “There is no teamwork quite like the teamwork in the Marines,” and you learn to trust and lean on the people around you. Knowing that he and his fellow Marines were impacting their country and the world inspired Tom, and when he got out of the service, he quickly realized that he wanted to continue helping and giving back to people.
At first, Tom thought a nursing career would be the way to do that. He pursued and graduated from nursing school, but some lingering injuries prevented him from continuing in his role. After trying out a few different career options, Tom’s path led him to our Environmental Services team at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
"Being a Marine taught Tom to think of others above himself and to inspire the people around him with courage and strength."
Tom is passionate about leading his team well and changing the way people look at Environmental Services and Housekeeping employees. While it may not be the first role that comes to mind when thinking about health care, the work of EVS is essential and needed everywhere at UPMC. Tom wants to help people understand and respect the importance of his and his team’s work. Part of that respect includes helping the Environmental Services teams keep our hospitals clean and tidy. “You should treat anywhere as if it was your house,” Tom said. “You wouldn’t drop a piece of trash on the floor in your home, so why do it here?”
Tom also cares deeply about empowering the team around him to see their potential. As a Team Lead, he loves to help his employees understand that while their roles may be entry-level, through hard work and dedication they can take their careers wherever they want to go. He tells his team that if you see something that you want in your career, “that should be the motivation to go figure out how that person got there and what you need to do to get there, too.”
Every day, Tom’s diligence, selfless attitude, and passion make a massive impact on the team around him. No matter where his career journey takes him next, we’re proud to have Tom as a part of our team!
