Association of Future Healthcare Administrators Winter Newsletter A Word From the AFHA Board Happy New Year from all of us on the AFHA Board! The New Year provides an appropriate space for reflection on the past and upcoming year. For students (and hopefully alumni) 2017 was a big year. A new class began their tenure at UIC, current students inched closer to graduation, and we wished outgoing classmates good luck (with nervous excitement) in the working world. In the New Year AFHA wants to challenge all to get out of their comfort zones in an effort to inflict positive change through a thoughtful consumption of information. Healthcare policy continues to provide an ambiguous future state. The uncertainty makes collaborative efforts critical to provide the best care. To be the best partner possible we must have a clear understanding of issues from all sides. In the past semester, AFHA hoped to provide space for greater integration between MHA cohorts and the various departments within the School of Public Health. Collaborative efforts with future public health officials will prove important for MHA students to develop well-rounded perspectives on healthcare delivery. For all past, current, and future MHA students learning as much as possible about all areas of healthcare – ranging from clinical to epidemiologic theory – will help in providing the best care for all and will allow us as future healthcare leaders to have the most informed opinion about how we believe healthcare should get delivered. AFHA wishes nothing but the best for our UIC friends in 2018!
The Lighter Side
Source: http://www.hospitalemrandehr.com/2017/05/05/technology-and-healthcare-cartoons-fun-friday/
See online @ http://issuu.com/uicschoolofpublicheatlhhpa/docs/012418_winter_newsletter_final_with?e=31596752/58101310
MHA Newsletter Winter 2018
Getting to Know Our Fellow SPH Students The School of Public Health houses many different degree-seeking students in various disciplines of healthcare. . Understanding the various disciplines and the people studying – and subsequently working in those fields – becomes an important part in helping to provide high quality care. Kera Beskin is one of our counterparts in the dual MPH/MBA program and shed some light on her field of study. Check out our interview with her below. AFHA: Where are you from? What degree are you obtaining, and what do those degrees entail? KB: I am from a small town in Minnesota. I went to Concordia College in Moorhead Minnesota for undergrad obtaining a degree in social work and sociology. Before going to UIC I was a social worker in a hospital, was in the Peace Corps in Turkmenistan (above Afghanistan) for two years working as a healthcare community volunteer, and worked for the federal government here in Chicago for three years. I am currently perusing UIC’s dual masters program for my MPH and MBA. I want to use my degrees to create a better world. AFHA: How is the MPH degree different from the MHA degree? KB: MPH is more difficult to explain than the MHA degree because it is such a versatile degree. While the MHA folks create a healthier community through improving the hospital systems, MPH folks work in many different areas. For example, epidemiology and biostatistics folks use population level data to document where interventions, hospitals, or outcomes fall short. Policy wonks work in state and federal government advocating for improved health policy. Community interventionists work in creating health education campaigns and evaluating programs. Environmentally focused MPH folks work to improve the safety and quality of our air, water, or workplace. As you can see, it is a vast and diverse degree! AFHA: How did you get to UIC? KB: I got a job in Chicago after the Peace Corps. UIC is highly ranked for their MPH program and has a strong dedication for social justice. I just felt at home here at UIC when I visited. I feel lucky to be in class with a few fellow Peace Corps alumni. We bring our shared international experiences into the classroom. I conducted pregnancy education classes while I was in the Peace Corps. It is challenging to talk about pregnancy education overseas in another language in a very different cultural context. Hospitals are vastly different. There is less preventative medicine and individuals do not seek treatment unless they have no other option. Basic health education is lacking so providing education and materials related to public health helped remedy this issue; however, no one was attending these public health classes. Therefore, my clinic and I write a 6,000 grant to USAID to provide health grab bag of goods as an incentive for attending the pregnancy classes. AFHA: What is your role in SPH? Page 2
MHA Newsletter Winter 2018 KB: I am the president of the Public Health Student Association (PHSA). It is the student council of SPH. As the PHSA, we want to be the voice of students. We work closely with school leadership so if there is something you’d like to see changed send us an email at phsa.uic@gmail.com. If you attend UIC SPH, you are a part of our organization. All MHA students are members. There are other organizations housed within the SPH that focus on various topics such as Radical Public Health, Minority Students for the Advancement of Public Health, and Global Health. All MHA students are welcome at these orgs as well. AFHA: What do you hope to accomplish with your degrees? KB: I have a lot of hopes. My biggest dream is to run Planned Parenthood and work towards a world where women are treated equally. That’s where my MBA comes in. To run an organization well, you need to have basic business skills and knowledge. AFHA: When you’re not at SPH what could we find you doing? KB: I like to take circus performance classes at Aloft Loft. There are a lot of different types of classes including tight rope walking, juggling, trapeze, tumbling, etc. I encourage anyone to take a circus class! You are stronger than you think you are! Just like any sport, that mentality can translate outside of the gym as well.
AFHA’s Take on the Preceptorship The preceptorship provides UIC students with the unique opportunity to embed themselves within an organization for a prolonged period of time. The selection and interview process for the preceptorship placement can also cause a fair amount of anxiety. Fear not, everyone should take a small comfort knowing all students must receive preceptorships. The preceptorship experience is a “test run” at the real world, and students should prepare for interviews as they would a job interview. Students should enter into interviews prepared, come with a basic knowledge of the organizations mission, value and goals, prepare quality questions related to the prospective position, team and overall organization. LinkedIn, faculty, and the second year students are great resources to utilize in your preparation. If a student does not receive their first choice, that is ok. Any work experience gathered provides tremendous insight into potential future jobs. Stress little; prepare a lot! The summer semester is a great opportunity to explore the preceptorship site and get on board various projects. We recommend students spend as much time as possible at their site, going above the three days required. It is understood that with the summer brings the distraction of all the good Chicago has to offer (read, weather above freezing), but the seeds planted in the summer can blossom into capstone projects and established rapport with organization members. As commitments for school pick back up in the fall, time must get more equally divided between study and the preceptorship. Having an established role within the organization early on will help ease the transition into the fall semester. Additionally, the best bit of advice AFHA members received before beginning at their sites was to try and become as close to a full time employee as possible as early as possible. Grab coffee with the employees’ and set up informational interviews, the sooner an organization trusts a student like a full time employee the better – this trust could lead to greater responsibility and hopefully lead into a full time position.
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MHA Newsletter Winter 2018 Preceptorship Role Overview 2017-2018 Cohort Advocate Christ Medical Center Service Line Management – Neurosciences and Bone & Joint Institutes Service line management - Neurosciences and Bone & Joint Institutes Position provides great access to directors/C-level leadership and operations exposure but it's self-directed. A timid person will not have a meaningful experience here. You do have the opportunity to "rotate" through departments of interest to you. It's very flexible during the school year, but you are expected to come in everyday in the summer. Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Physician Services Support the business development unit through internal and external analysis for new business opportunities, creating PowerPoint decks, and reports displaying information in a digestible manner. Additionally, the role encompasses doing research to better understand the complex north side market. The preceptor has the opportunity to attend high level meetings, assign tasks to facilitate meetings and direct physician support. American Medical Association Enterprise Communications and Marketing The preceptor engages with account management team, creative team, and media team to manage small-scale projects. Preceptor will attend account planning meetings to gain insight into operations and processes. They will assist with developing marketing strategies for promoting programs and services; assist with event management and production tasks. Engage with account management team, creative team, and media team to manage smallscale projects; attend account planning meetings to gain insight into operations and processes; Assist with developing marketing strategies for promoting programs and services; Assist with event management and production tasks. Product Development /Physician Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability The role involves product development; this includes the ideation, construction and implementation of products within AMA and their partners. Marketing, the process of developing and identifying promotion tools and channels to effectively market the product. Project management, working with various business unites to ensure action items are complete. Data analytics, tracking and analyzing membership, engagement, and growth data to ensure projects are optimal for business.. Erie Family Health Center Process Improvement and Operations Under the VP of Operations, coordinate health center operations weekly meetings (meeting minutes, agenda, and ice breakers), engage and perform projects with health center operation directors, responsible for and facilitate two annual action plan projects (oral health and noshows), presented on the behalf of Erie at APHA Conference, attended and completed trainings at the Joint Commission (Robust Process Improvement), Coordinate Health Center Operations weekly meetings (meeting minutes, agenda, and ice breakers), engage and perform projects with
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MHA Newsletter Winter 2018 health center operation directors, responsible and facilitate two annual action plan projects (oral health and no-shows), presented on the behalf of Erie at APHA Conference, and attended and completed trainings at the Joint Commission (Robust Process Improvement). Process Improvement and Operations Under the direction of the Chief Operating Officer, manage operations-based projects that have to do with facilities, equipment, construction, patient satisfaction, etc.; coordinate and facilitate meetings for the Senior Operations team. Under the process improvement team, facilitate and coordinate meetings for assigned projects, that align with Erie’s annual action plan. Under the direction of the Chief Operating Officer, the preceptor will manage operations based projects that have to do with facilities, equipment, construction, patient satisfaction, etc. Additional responsibilities include coordinating and facilitating meetings for the Senior Operations team. Under the process improvement team, the preceptor will facilitate and coordinate meetings for assigned projects that align with Erie’s annual action plan. Mercy Hospital Across multiple departments (under direction of CMO) The position involves learning about anything and everything while adding value to the organization. Work is done with the CMO and project manager. A huge amount of flexibility to choose which projects to work on/which departments to work in. Along with capstone project, each smaller project has different goals and different learning outcomes. Departments worked with include: IT, Emergency Department, Policy and Quality, Physician Network Operations, HR, and patient safety. Project Management Office/Administration Work with the Chief Medical Officer (preceptor) and the Project Management Office. Projects range from being involved in process improvements in different departments, such as improving patient flow in the ED, mapping lab and radiology processes to identify gaps, to streamlining the new employee recruitment process in the HR department. As an administrative intern, the role is primarily to provide support as well as lead the on-going projects at Mercy. Mount Sinai Hospital Operations Assist the VP of Operations with various analyses and operational initiatives related to support and ancillary services at Mount Sinai Hospital. UI Health Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation The preceptor is only involved in capstone-related work. Human Resources Works directly under the Director of Employee Relations and with the Chief Human Resources Officer (Senior HR Director). Assist employee relations teams with any needs ranging from filing to attending meetings and drafting official documents. Perioperative Services The preceptor works to create and leverage analytics to better understand the operational and financial impact of policy changes. Page 5