Rachel Sokol

 

 

Hospital administrators may not work on the bed-side of patient care, but their administrative roles are just as crucial as a doctor’s.

 

While doctors, specialists, and nurses are at the forefront of medical care in the U.S., hospitals and health clinics wouldn’t be able to operate without staffers. Hospital employees who work on the corporate side of healthcare have jobs that are critical, assisting physicians and nurses, as well as patients, to help keep hospital protocol running as smoothly and effectively as possible. They keep everything “moving.” Read on to learn about the business end of healthcare operations, and how administrators work with both patients and employees to help keep the hospital “in-action” 24/7. Below, four administrators at large U.S. hospitals share career advice, and explain why they chose to work on the front-end of healthcare.

 

MAIN LINE HEALTH: LEADERS AND PROVIDERS

Alabama native Jeshahnton (Shaun) V. Essex, FACHE, is the vice-president of administration for Riddle Hospital, part of Main Line Health (MLH), a not-for-profit health system serving portions of Philadelphia and its western suburbs.

 

“My core job responsibilities include managing hospital operations, encompassing the majority of the hospital’s departments outside of the core nursing world, which includes areas such as audiology, EMS/ ALSU, oncology, outpatient wound healing for the system, and virtually all the ancillary departments of the hospital,” explains Essex. “My main focus it to ensure that the MLH vision of providing a superior experience is embraced and implemented in every aspect of care by our employees and patient care partners.”

 

Essex was drawn to the healthcare field at a young age, as he watched his elders undergo various patient care experiences/medical treatments and feeling like “they were just a number, not a patient,” he says. “I remember asking my uncle, who was a physician, ‘Who is in charge of all this stuff?’ I knew then that I wanted to be the person who would oversee the patient/ administration process, and I started to read up on hospital administration programs.”

 

After losing his beloved uncle and a grandfather to cancer while he was in college, Essex’s “goal was to improve simple things like communication between the clinician and patient/families, the coordination of services, and the cleanliness of the facilities.” He attended The Johns Hopkins University where he majored in public health – natural sciences, and obtained a master’s of science in health administration, a master’s of business administration, and a certificate in gerontology (the study of the social, psychological, cognitive and biological aspects of aging) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

 

According to Essex, the most rewarding part of his position is being able to impact change in a positive way. “When I am faced with an opportunity to resolve an issue or problem—whether it’s a patient safety or patient experience issue—I’m able to improve not only that patient’s experience, but every patient who follows,” he says. “In healthcare, no matter what sector you’re in, we have the opportunity to affect patient’s lives in the most poignant way, and this responsibility must remain our north star.”

 

Essex feels, “incredibly rewarded” that his family gave him the foundation and inspiration to make a positive difference in healthcare. “I wake up every day with the goal of ensuring that every patient we treat has a personalized, superior experience and I’m tremendously blessed to be able to do so in a progressive environment,” he says.

 

Job seekers need to be open-minded in the search process because many entry-level positions “don’t come easily these days, so you must be flexible in the search process. It can also be beneficial to consider an administrative fellowship to boost both your experience and your resume,” he says.

 

“I’m involved in quite a few organizations, including the United Way, Philabundance (Philadelphia Food Bank), Operation Warm, which collects winter coats for children in need, the Health Career Academy (working with high school students in Chester, PA to get a jump start on a career in healthcare), and my local church, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, among others,” adds Essex. As a community health system, Essex believes “it’s vital for us to be involved in many aspects of our communities— not just healthcare. Our place is to be servant leaders and servant providers.

 

MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: PROMOTING DIVERSITY

Dr. Mary Chatman recalls that in nursing school, there was a lack of diversity within the care team compared to the diversity of the patients and families. “I vowed to change that throughout my career, by becoming a bedside nurse first, and then going on to make administrative decisions,” recalls Chatman, who earned her undergrad and PhD degrees from East Carolina University. “Classmates from East Carolina University School of Nursing, remind me often, that ‘I had a plan, and I was not ashamed to profess it.’ I wanted to be a nurse.”

 

Chatman adds: “Not only would I be a nurse, I would be a proud African-American nurse, comfortable with my differences and actually viewing those differences as my strength.” Currently, Chatman serves as the chief operating officer/chief nursing at Memorial University Medical Center, a non-profit, 653-bed tertiary care and Level I trauma center hospital in Savannah, GA. (Additionally, in 2014, she was the hospital’s acting chief information officer, and oversaw an $85M electronic health record implementation.) Chatman leads all nursing divisions, outpatient departments, ancillaries, clinical and non-clinical support departments, and human resources.

 

“I advocate that nursing will always exist as a profession, but the landscape changes every day,” she says. For example, if you want to love the profession for years to come, “you have to adapt to change and be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. Patients are going to continue to get sicker and demand more while dollars to operate get tighter and tighter. Every little step they take to make a difference impacts our profession. You first have to decide you’re ‘in.’ Then if you do something long enough it becomes a habit; over time the habit becomes a part of you; and eventually, you become a leader in changing the culture.”

 

She advises job seekers to “adapt your disposition and presence to the setting you’re in.” Sometimes African-American leaders, says Chatman, due to the fact they are most often the minority in many settings, tend to retreat. “I am the opposite. I feel honored to be there and see it as an opportunity to show my brand ‘Over the Top.’ When working with teams I use my mantra: ‘Show the Love’” she continues. “If people feel a part of something, they won’t tear it to pieces.”

 

Chatman has worked in healthcare for over 23 years, had many mentors along the way of various ages and ethnicities, and has been responsible for almost every department in a health system. “Along the way, I never forget where I came from and have always tried to bring people along with me on my journey. It is so rewarding when I see many of the team members I used to work with in leadership positions themselves, making a difference in people’s lives,” she says, “When I can see a patient come into the hospital feeling very sick and after a few days, weeks, or even months, get to go home to be with their love ones, to see another sunrise/sunset, that’s a blessing and a special feeling that is special over and over again.”

 

BEAUMONT HEALTH SYSTEM: BE A GENUINE LEADER

Alonzo Todd Lewis is the vice president of Women & Children’s Services and Business Development at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. Lewis, who attended the University of Michigan for both undergraduate and graduate studies, is responsible for the fiscal operation, budgetary management, and growth and business development for women’s services and Beaumont Children’s Hospital. Additionally, he helps develop and grow new patient volume from outside of Beaumont’s main service areas.

 

“I wanted to be a physician or an oral surgeon at a young age, but was not energized by the course work required to get there,” recalls Lewis, a Michigan native. “I was always good at math and I liked business courses in college, so I put the two together and found an internship in the administrative side of healthcare, which solidified my interest in the field.”

 

When his newborn daughter battled some health challenges, Lewis became interested in pediatric care, both physically and emotionally. “Despite the child being the patient, a hospital must focus on the needs of the entire family during the child’s hospital stay,” he says. “Given my experience, it’s made me more passionate than ever to provide the best in class care that meets the needs of the entire family.”

 

Lewis advises job seekers to find a local hospital and volunteer “to understand how a hospital runs, to see the various roles that function in a hospital, and get to know people in the hospital. The people can be invaluable resources in terms of knowledge and advice. Additionally, find a mentor and coach to motivate you and give you honest feedback along the way for career and personal growth and development.”

 

Rounding (“checking in”) on patients is just one of the many rewarding aspects of Lewis’s job. “I love meeting children’s families and seeing their child get better,” he says. “I also like interacting with first-time families who just brought new life into the world. It’s also great to see my colleagues grow and develop.”

 

The best compliment Lewis ever received is related to how he treats people. “I’ve been told that I’m very approachable and always take a moment out of my busy day to connect with people to see how they’re doing,” he says. “People tell me that I’m such a genuine leader and that means a lot.”

 

JOHNS HOPKINS BAYVIEW MEDICAL CENTER: BE OF SERVICE TO HUMANITY

Originally from South Carolina, Dr. Renee Blanding is a “Jill of All Trades” in the healthcare field. She’s the current vice president of medical affairs, medical director of the operating room, and staff anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, where she’s worked for 22 years.

 

“I work closely with the executive team, medical, and hospital staff; my job scope covers medical staff, credentialing, and risk management issues. I also am heavily involved in quality and safety matters throughout the Medical Center and health system,” explains Blanding. “I decided that I wanted to become a doctor at the age of five and was fortunate to fulfill my lifelong dream. I was attracted to the field of anesthesiology because it applied anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology to a wide range of specialties such as pediatrics, obstetrics, adult medicine, and surgery. “

 

Blanding’s administrative role started in 2006 when she became the first medical director of the operating room. “Five years later, I was appointed the vice president of medical affairs.”

 

Her formative years were greatly influenced by her paternal grandmother, who gave Blanding lessons that still resonate with her today. “One of her sayings, ‘talking puts no strain on the backbone,’ taught me that talking about something is of little value; one must exert oneself through hard work to get effective results. I credit my grandmother for setting my moral compass and I feel incredibly blessed to have been directed by her,” says Blanding. “I am honored to be a physician and I feel privileged to use my skills to be of service to humanity, whether it is in the clinical or administrative realm. I also get to work with so many bright and dedicated individuals in all aspects of healthcare who motivate me to do my very best.”

 

Outside of work, Blanding—a University of South Carolina graduate who received her medical degree and licensure from the University of Florida School of Medicine—is involved in several community projects, mentors a college student, and teaches nutrition to high school students. She advises healthcare job seekers to recognize the “huge shift from care provided in the hospital to preventive care and population health,” and familiarize themselves with electronic medical records.

 

“In keeping with those trends, there are tremendous efforts being placed on optimizing the continuum of care, from the outpatient to inpatient and home care settings. Plus, many healthcare settings have adopted the electronic medical record as a way to improve the transfer of information as well as reduce medical errors,” Blanding acknowledges.

 

Electronic medical records generate a tremendous amount of data, so anyone in the healthcare sector should expand their portfolio by aligning themselves with the information services and the analytic sector, she comments. “One should become familiar with the emergence and importance of ‘big data’ and how the management of this data will greatly impact decision making in all areas of healthcare.”