What I wish I had known, Part 1

Healthcare Organizations

Prior to starting graduate school, I had very little understanding of what other organizations are involved in patient care outside of physician practices and hospitals. The following organizations are discussed often in our classes.

The Joint Commission. Anyone in healthcare knows this name. They are the accrediting body for the majority of facilities.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). IHI is one of the largest organization in terms of focusing on patient care across facilities. There are student chapters, including one here in San Antonio, that have helped us better understand the safety and quality issues in our current healthcare system. One of the catalysts for their initiatives started when a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), "Crossing the Quality Chasm" (2001), revealed the shocking amount of preventable errors in healthcare.

The Advisory Board Company. A very well known research and consulting company that aids providers in current trends, market research, and data analytics.

If you are going into hospital administration, become familiar with these organizations.

Summer semester...

Well last week I finished my summer semester. It was a quick "band-aid" like semester, only 6 weeks long.

Here is a brief overview of the three classes I took:

Human Resources. Not my favorite topic, but let's face it...healthcare in any part of the industry is much more labor intensive than it is capital intensive. Because of this, every administrator needs to understand how to think in terms of human resources. We covered topics, such as, job design and analysis (the foundation for human resources), selection and recruitment, training and development, legal issues, and reward and recognition. We were required to read Hardwiring Excellence by Quint Studer, who is actually coming to speak to our program in October.

Information Technology. This course was a 30,000 foot view of information technology in healthcare (or the lack thereof). There was absolutely no programming involved, simply what type of technology is used, how to implement and maintain technology in an organization, and most importantly the implications of the latest HITECH legislation. We were very lucky to have multiple CIOs address the class, as well as, physicians who have served as advocates for IT in their respective organizations. This is a growing field and a part of me wants to get involved.

Health Law. By far the best class of the semester. This was a very information intense course. There is a lot to know when it comes to legal issues in healthcare. I was very luck to have a great professor, Sarah Fontenot, who is known in Texas and nationally as the "HIPAA Goddess". She kept us on our feet with her stories from her time as a nurse and her depth of knowledge of current events.

I really enjoyed the short, quick semester and continue to look forward to my fellowship starting in January. I am definitely going to enjoy the next 6 weeks until classes start up again.

Alumni Networking

One of the main reasons I chose Trinity for my MHA was the alumni network. I have been greatly impressed by the instant group of colleagues I have been connected with upon entering this program. It seems that in the past week, I have been on the phone with multiple Trinity alums, who after a simply email from me, were willing to answer questions about their career, help with projects, and even put in a good word come interview time for residencies. I do not want to say that Trinity is better than every other MHA program, but I will admit, I have access to a phenomenal network of professionals whenever I need them.

School Starts Next Week...

Well the "dream" summer is almost over. Since we moved to Texas, I have spent my days playing with my wife and daughter along with trips to see family and even one trip to graduation. Next Wednesday starts a new chapter of my life. As I have read one of my textbooks geared towards the American Health Care system, my passion for the field has dramatically increased. I used to look toward the start of school with despair and anxiety, but this year is different. I will be studying subject matter that is exciting for me to learn about because it effects so many people. I feel like the more I get involved with my studies and volunteering during my MHA program, the bigger impact I can have on others and the field when I graduate. Here goes nothing!

Trinity it is...

So this is a long overdue announcement. I will be attending Trinity this fall. My wife and I are really excited about moving to San Antonio and being close to my family in Houston. Looking back on my decision, I realize the biggest factor was not tuition, or ranking, but how I fit into the program. Like I mentioned in the previous post, there is a different feel at each of the universities. VCU has a more fast-paced east coast feel, and Trinity is the more Texas feel. Having grown up in Texas, I am definitely more accustomed to their way of thinking. During the decision process I contacted both admissions recruiters asking about financial aid offers since it would play a role in my decision. VCU was not able to make any offers until after I made a decision, but the admissions recruiter at Trinity approached the faculty about my question. She called back two days later and told me at the minimum they would offer me a graduate assistantship, which would include 12 hours of work per week in the department and cut my tuition in half. She said there is still opportunity for more scholarships, but that is my minimum offer. I was ecstatic. I knew I was going to go to Trinity, but half-tuition will save us over 14,000 dollars. That is a lot of money to save.

So now comes to moving. My wife and I decided since we both finish our Bachelor's degrees in June, it would be smarter to move to San Antonio sooner than later. Since it would be hard for me to find a job for 6 weeks here, we think it is better to get out there, find work and housing and then fly back for our graduation ceremony in August. Thanks to all the frequent flyer miles I accumulated as a child (thanks Dad!), we will fly for free. I have started looking for jobs, and am looking at a few banks, which has nothing to do with what I am studying, but they give benefits to part-time employees, which is what I think is most important for my family.

So the adventure starts...heat, cowboy hats, great Mexican food, and everything else San Antonio has to offer. Oh yeah, and an MHA degree with a residency.

VCU

Grant House

Ambulatory Care Center

Medical Center

Last Friday, I had an interview day at Virginia Commonwealth University. I flew in Thursday afternoon, and was really impressed with Richmond. The cab driver told me if I like slow paced cities, Richmond is the perfect fit. I agreed, there seems to be less traffic in Richmond than in Provo. I had a good walk around campus on my own and found some dinner.

The next morning I woke up and had some good thinking time. My interview did not start until 11:15. I got there with about 25 minutes to spare and waited in a conference like room at the Grant House. All of the admissions committee helped us to feel very comfortable and welcome. As we were getting to know each other, an alumni found out I was from BYU and pulled me out in the hall, gave me his card, and told me to get in touch with him if I wanted help finding housing. That was a pleasant surprise. I also met a former mission buddy of my brother's, he was also interviewing that day.

The interviews went really well. I interviewed with the Bioinformatics professor, an alumni who works with HCA, and a current student. I feel good about the answers I gave. They were the typical interview questions like:

Why VCU?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Then we were able to go on a tour of campus. The graduate school is still known as MCV (Medical Campus of Virginia), and is very detached from the undergraduate campus. MCV is huge, and there are a lot of opportunities to be in the hospital during the program.

My overall impression of the program was very good. The Grant House becomes students' home away from home. All classes, professors, and studying takes place in the Grant House. To me that is important because it gives the program a family feel. The alumni network is fantastic. Even during school, it is to find a part-time job in the area because so many alumni work at nearby hospitals. I feel it is important to be able to work during grad school to support my family, but what makes VCU great is they help you get a part-time job in administration, not just a delivery driver. There are a lot of other programs that don't recommend working during school. The 3rd year residency is a big selling point for their program. Most programs help you find it, but it still requires a lot of work on your part. VCU pretty much gives you the residency. You do compete with classmates to get the best ones, but everyone gets one.

Despite VCU's website saying you will know the day of interview if you are accepted, I did not find out. Because they operate through rolling admissions, all spots have been offered and now I have to wait for other applicants to make their decisions, and if they choose not to go to VCU, spots for guys like me open up. Dr. Clement said I am well qualified and that an open spot is all I need. I know it will all work out!

I would love to have any questions or comments!