What was your first job in healthcare?
I spent the summer between years of my MBA as an IT Finance intern at a County Hospital in Indiana.
What is a trait you admire most when you see it in your colleagues?
I love to see true compassion and understanding, especially in the height of chaos and thick of things.
A successful day at work is: I love the feeling on being connected. Like I am able to be who I am and that provides help and serves my colleagues or customers.
What is a career achievement you are most proud of?
We set up a pretty in depth and comprehensive time & effort system at an Academic Medical Center I worked at that – last time I checked – they are still using 10+ years later.
What is an area you are looking to improve in your own life?
I can’t possibly nail it down to just one! How about a better first reaction to bad news – that is a good one.
What does it look like for you to ‘unplug’ from work?
Though I usually always have access to emails and texts for work issues, I have made it a career-long habit of avoiding (95% of the time, at least) working on Sundays. It is hard when I can see the emails accumulating Sunday evenings, but I am glad to stay ‘away’ from work that day.
What is your greatest motivation?
As a Christian, I am motivated by the greatest example in my savior Jesus Christ, so in gratitude to him and seeking to be like him I want to serve with humility and patience – in all of life, and that certainly includes my career.
What do you think are the greatest challenges/opportunities for the healthcare industry right now?
As a natural skeptic, I see a myriad of challenges. From the vantagepoint of a couple decades of watching the overall trajectory, my concern would be that the mess that has been created by the greed and power of a number of ‘healthcare’ organizations prevents improvement and it gets harder and harder to imagine an effective change in course.
What drove you to pursue Fellow status?
I found in ACHE a ‘home’ that made me confident to want to pursue something I knew I would want to maintain throughout my career.
What do you believe is the greatest benefit you have gotten from being an ACHE member?
The value of being a part of ACHE has impacted me in more than a few ways, but the easiest one I can point to is that I would not have found the great job I now have if it wasn’t for the introduction I got through an informal ACHE meeting.
What advice do you have for young professionals considering a career in healthcare?
Healthcare has great need to smart people who care more about others than themselves. Be careful to maintain a focus on others. This industry really needs brilliant people who want to use that energy on behalf of those in need.
