As a recent Fellow, can you share with us how did you prepared for the FACHE credential or exam?
The key to preparing for the exam is dedicating the time to study all of the materials and to seek assistance! Due to the pandemic I utilized the online study course. It was wonderful! Particularly as a working mother, I was able to go at my pace. Additionally, I utilized the flash cards and the app that came with the flashcards. Both were very helpful in reviewing concepts I was less familiar with.
That’s awesome, could you tell me about your educational background?
Yes, I attended Baylor University and obtained a bachelor’s of Art in Speech Communication with an emphasis in rhetoric and a minor in corporate communication. After working as a consultant in the healthcare industry, I went back to school for my Masters in Healthcare Administration from Ohio University.
What led you to pursue a degree in healthcare?
I grew up around a hospital. My mother and my aunt both work in healthcare and I was fortunate enough to experience many aspects of healthcare through their experiences. It is so rewarding to help people, and healthcare is the perfect opportunity to really make an impact! Additionally, they showed many different perspectives of what it takes to run an effective organization in order to help a community. This multifaceted approach was marvelous! While I knew my desire wasn’t to be a doctor or a nurse, I was able to take my skill sets and apply them to help our clinical staff make a positive impact on our community through health administration.
What has been one of the most favorite or memorable moments in ACHE this far?
Meeting so many wonderful members at the various chapter breakfasts! There have been so many wonderful conversations with people that I would have never met outside of my organization had I not gone to the breakfast’s.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 year old son, and two dogs. When I’m not cheering on my Baylor Lady Bears in basketball, I enjoy running and lifting weights. Currently I’m training for the, now virtual Houston Marathon.
What would be one piece of career advice that you would share with an early careerist?
There are so many ways to support our healthcare organizations and communities. I would tell individuals to be open minded, ask lots of questions, and learn all areas of the industry! For example, taking time to learn hospital billing has helped me grow in my current position in Healthcare IT. While I’m not around billing all day, understanding the workflow and concepts has been applicable for every job I have held within a hospital. I also thought it was extremely beneficial for my previous role in consulting.
What is one of the most challenging aspects of your current role- as a director of employed physicians?
Being the Director of Employee Physicians within the ISD department for over 600 employed providers means keeping up with a lot of new technology that is available in the Ambulatory setting. The most challenging part is balancing the wants and needs of the providers, with those of the patients. Lastly, the quality/regulatory needs are challenging as they are always evolving. I really enjoy road mapping and implementing new technology that helps bridge the providers, patients, and quality metrics together in an easily digestible method so each area gets what they are needing. It’s challenging for sure but also really fun!
What would you consider a defining moment in your career?
There are so many! In my consulting days, I had an opportunity to work with a rural Oklahoma organization that was an early adopter of mobile medicine. They had a vision of outfitting a van as a nurse and physician office. We were able to fully equip the van with cameras, electronically integrated vitals machines, and satellites. We did this in order to get the internet working so that patients could see a provider via video and not have to drive into the city. This experience drove me to pursue learning additional technology options outside of the traditional EMR and Person Management/Accounting applications. Additionally, my first management opportunity helped define my leadership skills. Having an open, honest, and established team as a young leader gave me the opportunity to strengthen my skills as a leader. To this day, I still keep in touch with several of the members of my first team.
-Interview by Ayke Hoppenreijs