Interviewing Someone in the Healthcare Industry - Essay Example

? Interviewing Someone in the Healthcare Industry Introduction I interviewed Diane Lawton from Clapp's NursingCenter in Pleasant Garden where she discussed a number of issues related to her career in terms of her daily activities when at work. Other matters discussed were the challenges she faced in her line of duties. Her motivational factor among other issues was put on to the table. How did you start your career and how long have you been in this industry? Diane Lawton started her carrier as an ordinary nurse in the same nursing center in which she has risen to the rank of Healthcare Administrator of the organization. She first applied to the nursing center as an intern eight years ago. Through recommendations she rose from a nurse to a senior nurse in her current position. This was made possible by her engaging and getting enrolled in a management course besides her current nursing carrier. The need to expound her knowledge on issues to do with the health resulted in her being promoted (Wolper, 2010). Who has been your mentor and how has she or he motivated and natured your carrier? Her mentor has been her dad in that he is a doctor of a local hospital. Besides him being a doctor, he also owns a clinic. She got motivated watching her dad perform his clinical duties, and pledged to follow his footsteps (Wolper, 2004). He paid her fees and followed her progress through. All her success is due to a supportive family led by her father. Apart from family support, she attributed determination and hard work to her success. What does one need to become a healthcare administrator? To be a healthcare administrator, one needs to be an all-rounded person in that he or she should have knowledge in every sector and not in the nursing department alone. She also focused on and stressed the issue of determination in that the duties and role performed must show full commitment (Friedman, 2012). The other qualification is education in that one should be well equipped with papers. The position needs a person who has excelled in more than one discipline, but one of the disciplines should have included a nursing course. She described that the position required a lot in that academic qualification is necessary in the midst of becoming a healthcare administrator. The other qualification she explained was experience in that one should have worked in the industry sufficiently and effectively so as to qualify as a healthcare administrator. It is a managerial position, hence experience in how to handle the working environment is needed. What is your role as a healthcare administrator and who are you superiors and juniors at work? Diane Lawton described a healthcare administrator as a manager of a health institution in that he reports to the board. All workers in the health institutions report to them and include the health supervisor, nurses, and junior doctors (Morrison, 2010). Their roles include supervising of the hospital operations; every department is valued by the healthcare administrator. They also recommend to the board on the way forward in the case of failure and what needs to be done. He or she develops measures to be undertaken by the staff members. The healthcare administrator also solves disputes raised by the workers, and attends to their plights. He accounts for the stocks at the hospital and ensure that there are no bottlenecks in the operation due to the failure of different departments (Friedman, 2012). What are the challenges faced in the line of duty and what are the measures taken to overcome them? Most of the challenges are mainly work related and others concern the management. This is due to the fact that employees consider themselves to be able to occupy a better position. Another issue is lack of support by the government in that the support given is less than what is required, thus hampering the operation of the institution in service delivery (Wolper, 2010). One more issue is how to satisfy the needs of the customers without compromising the set budget. The costumers in her case are the patients. Their number is growing and there are less infrastructure and space to compensate for the influx. She usually deals with the case of workers conflict in a democratic manner in that she tries to involve the workers in the conflict resolution. She also tries to involve the government in that she forwards the complaints and proposals including the budgets. She also has designed an alternative means of funding her own projects in order to compensate the deficit brought about by the laxity of the government. The funds have enabled her to make adjustments and created an environment that helps in coping with the increase in the number of patients (Wolper, 2004). Who are the key players in ensuring the health sector achieves the set goals? The players in the health sector are, first of all, the hospital staff including the nurses, doctors, and the support team. They are the ones that enable the smooth flow of the operations in the hospital. The other key player is the government which does the funding in all the activities and implements regulations to be followed by the health industry (Friedman, 2012). It also ensures the smooth flow and set standards to be followed and attained by the health department. The other players who assist in the funding process are the sponsors who fund and provide support to the health department. Do you have any closing statements and motivational words? She described that everything in life requires hard work and determination (Morrison, 2010). She added that the path may be long or too tough to be achieved, hence one should exercise patience and focus. A mile journey begins with a single step. There may be hurdles but one needs to be strong. She motivated those willing to follow any path of life to listen to their hearts. The stakeholders including the government should put measures in place to ensure the youth follows their paths. Her advice to the parents is to allow their children to follow their dreams and they should be supportive in every way. She said that she was able to perform her duties and, at the same time, be effective in her work. Diane Lawton added that determination and great plans in one’s schedule are all that one requires (Wolper, 2010). References Friedman, L. (2012). 101 careers in healthcare management. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Morrison, E. (2010). Ethics in health administration: A practical approach for decision makers. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Wolper, L. (2004). Health care administration: Planning, implementing, and managing organized delivery systems. Chicago: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Wolper, L. (2010). Health care administration: Managing organized delivery systems. Chicago: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More