Thoughts on UNH

I've really been in a reflective state over the past few days due to the semester coming to a close, and I have got to say that I am so happy I came to UNH. While I was considering schools, I didn't really want to even look at UNH because it is the state school, and at my high school we called it "Pinkerton Academy 2.0" because so many people from Pinkerton come here (Pinkerton Academy is the name of my HS).

After looking for colleges and thinking about the long term goals I had for myself, I thought that UNH would be the best school for me, mainly due to the 'lower' in-state tuition ('lower' because it's still outrageously expensive). As I stated in my last post, I came in to college declared environmental engineering, and UNH is known for being highly environmentally conscious and friendly which was another reason I thought coming here would be okay (although there is still major room for improvement in terms of lowering our environmental impact).

My first year...terrible. I hated all of my classes and had some problems finding myself, but I overcame mostly because of the amazing support that I surrounded myself with, such as my roommates and my RA (now my boyfriend). But last year everything clicked when I switched to HMP, yet another great program almost exclusively found at UNH that creates amazing opportunities for students in the major.

I think a lot about how the decisions we make affect our futures. It is crazy to think about the fact that I almost missed out on such a wonderful opportunity to be an HMP student and meet all of the people who have become some of my closest friends. I could have gone to an out of state school, but I don't think I ever would have even considered health management as a career because there aren't that many programs as good as ours. One thing I think I can take away from my college search, decision, and experience is that you should never overlook an option just because it isn't your first choice. Another example further proving my point is when I was searching for internship positions I almost cancelled one of my interviews because I thought I didn't want to go there. Turns out, I accepted a position and loved the woman I met with! Always give a potential opportunity the chance to prove your preconceptions wrong.

(And as it turns out, not too many people from Pinkerton ended up coming here, although some did, but it isn't a burden and when I run into some of them it reminds me of home, so having them here is kind of nice in a way.)

HMPositivity

When I applied to UNH, I was accepted as an engineering student. I wanted to save the world through environmental engineering. I didn't realize, however, that there is so much math involved in engineering (I knew it was relevant but I didn't know it would be the only thing we would be doing). It didn't take long for me to realize that engineering was not for me and I was left searching for a new purpose in my education.

My adviser at the time suggested that I take random classes from all sorts of backgrounds. I knew that I still wanted to help people somehow, I just didn't know in what way. I ended up randomly taking epidemiology and I loved it. And I'm so happy I did because it sparked my interest and was the catalyst for one of the best decisions I've ever made... Joining HMP!

I hadn't met anyone from the major by second semester sophomore year, but then I met Jess (where we suffered together through 3 hours in a row of human behavior). After that, first semester this year I met pretty much everyone else and it's been amazing so far and keeps getting better. These people are so supportive of one another and we all wish for each others success. It is a really positive group of people and I am so happy I joined the major and became a part of it. They are some of the best friends I've made in college. Not only that, but our professors are so supportive of our work and success! Not everyone can say that about their professors.

As this year comes to an end it is important to reflect on the hardest year I think any of us have endured in terms of course work. But it has also helped us grow and become the close-knit group that we are, and for that I'm, in a weird way, grateful for the terrible homework assignments, seemingly impossible problem sets, and horrible exams.

'Many' Presentation: Organizational Culture

A few classes ago, Jessica, Carly, and I gave a presentation about organizational culture. It was really interesting to read about the incredible impact that culture can have on work productivity. A lot of places that we looked into were a bit on the extreme end, such as the Zappos example where they are allowed to decorate their space in any way they want and where everyone is seen as equals. There is not one boss in their organization, which tends to lead to fewer conflicts and higher productivity rates.

While reading about organizations like Zappos I was honestly surprised to find that productivity didn't go down. I thought that since everyone is kind of friends in their work environment that it would create distraction from doing work because they just want to hang out with their friends. But it was interesting to find that the opposite was true. It is shown that when people are generally happy to be at work and happy with the work they are doing, they tend to get more done and use time more efficiently, even if they are friends with their coworkers. This is because everyone actually wants to do their work! I think it's awesome that there are places like this, where the people are able to perform well and have a really good time with their team.

Building an environment through trust and respect from one another is just one way to create a positive organizational culture. Transparency is another very important factor in a positive culture. When people are not secretive about their work, they become more collaborative and function better as a team. They are able to support one another and help to better each others work. I think that organizational culture can either help or harm the productivity of its workers, and that is an important thing to keep in mind in the future when developing a culture myself.

I'm Bad with Phone Calls

Today at work I was asked to find the email address of a healthcare professional in order to invite them to an event we are hosting in May. At first, I went to the internet. I looked up the company they work for and scoured the website for their email...nothing. I then consulted a personal blog of theirs, their LinkedIn profile, and news stories containing their name...still nothing. THEN, I sent an email to the company's email for inquiries, knowing that this may take a few days to get addressed and responded to.

My boss came into the office and asked me whether I had found the person's email yet and when I said no she told me to call the number on the website. Now, I am very uncomfortable with phone conversations (I don't even like talking to family on the phone!). However, I called the number, was transferred to the assistant and she gave me the email, taking fewer than 5 minutes to complete the task.

This one experience has really given me an idea of the importance of phone calls and reaching out to others when you need help. It can sometimes be the most efficient and best option for finding the information you need. I'm coming to terms with the idea of stuttering and making mistakes while speaking to someone on the phone. It is still scary even though I know and understand the importance, especially when speaking with professionals. It takes practice, which can be hard to do because I don't regularly have opportunities to speak to professionals over the phone, or even in person. But I know that the practice will come after I graduate and am searching for jobs (scary...).

A Few Things...

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting Major Chris Armijo as a guest lecturer in class. It went really well and he spoke a lot about many relevant topics. Unfortunately we didn't get to all of the topics we had planned to, so I'm going to touch on setting objectives and constructive criticism here!

Setting objectives: Objectives are really important to the development and improvement of a company. Personal goals as well as small group and organizational goals all play roles in the bettering of a company. A crucial aspect when thinking about goals you want to set is remembering that the objective is not to just do the job. The objective is to strive to do better than the standard and exceed the job description. However, you can't set it so high that it is unattainable. Setting easier simpler goals will not only help you reach your overall end goal, it will also motivate and inspire you to continue to work toward the bigger objective. When setting your own goals, make sure you don't set yourself up for failure. And when you are helping others set goals or delegating tasks to others, don't set those people up for failure! It can be really easy to give somebody a goal to accomplish, but it's hard to follow-up. Follow-up is another crucial aspect of setting objectives. Be available for them to ask questions and make sure they know you are there to help!

A few questions that I have regarding goal setting: what are some tips on benchmarking? What would be an appropriate timeline for completing an objective, especially if it is a long-term goal? As a supervisor, should you step back and allow people to create their own goals, or should you provide them with the goals that you think you benefit them? And what if that person or people is/are resistant to changing their behavior in order to achieve the goals you provide?

Corrective counseling and constructive criticism: When it comes to corrective counseling and constructive criticism, I think it is essential to keep it impersonal in the workplace. When you are accepting criticism it is important to remember that you are not being personally attacked by the supervisor. They are trying to give you helpful feedback to improve your performance. It can be hard not to get defensive about it and sometimes it can feel personal, but in reality it is about growth and improvement. When giving criticism you need to remember to be honest and straight forward with the person you are talking to. You have to have the maturity to be able to have the conversation and be honest to the person while looking them in the eyes. Another part that is crucial when giving criticism to someone else is following-up with them. You want to be sure that the person is feeling good about your conversation, they understand the ideas you gave them for improvement, and repair the relationship if they are feeling threatened. It can be difficult to see people after you have told them they need to improve their work ethic, but if you don't reach out to them afterward it is unlikely they will take the criticism into strong consideration and may even disregard it all together.

One question that I have thought of as a future professional: how do you, as a junior member of an organization, approach a supervisor and initiate a conversation about something you think they should improve upon? How can you approach that situation without seeming arrogant or unprofessional or disrespectful?

Thanks for reading!

Be the Change!

For one of my classes, a group of my peers and I have to do a project on another country's healthcare system. After doing some research on Mexico's healthcare system, I have become even more grateful for the amazing care that I have available to me at virtually any moment. But at the same time, I am even more encouraged to try to do what I can with my professional career to improve the quality and equity of care in the U.S.

According to cms.gov's National Health Expenditures datasheet, the U.S. spent $3.2 trillion on healthcare in 2015, which averages out to $9,990 per person and 17.8% of the GDP. With spending at record highs, one would be lead to believe that we would be ranked very highly in terms of  healthy outcomes, but in 2014 we ranked last out of the top 11 industrialized countries in healthy lives. Healthy lives was measured in infant mortality and deaths that were potentially preventable with timely access to effective health care. And equity....I could talk forever about the inequities that affect so many millions of people in this country.

I'm eager to learn as much as I can this summer while interning with a senior executive of Catholic Medical Center. I am hoping this experience will push me to think about my future and the future of healthcare and my interactions with it. I know there is so much room for improvement and I am excited to get going and be the change!

Goal Setting

This is a really cool graphic my mentor sent me about goal setting. The one that I think is most important would be "attainable". We always need to remember to that we can make multiple goals to achieve a larger goal. We don't need to tackle the entire larger goal all at once, as it can be much more fulfilling to attain smaller goals that lead to the large goal.

In terms of specificity, sometimes being too specific can cause a narrow mind and you may block out some ideas that may have help you in the long run to attain your goal. You definitely don't want to think too broadly though because you can easily get lost and lose the motivation to keep working toward the goal.

It must be measurable so that you can track your progress while you work toward the goal. This is also to reduce repetition in your methods so you don't overwork an idea. Relevance is another factor that needs to be considered because you need to set your goals with an end in sight. The goal needs to be realistic. The goal must also be time bound. You need to set up boundaries for yourself, like deadlines and to keep yourself on track. If no deadlines are set, it is possible that the goal will be forgotten altogether and you will never achieve it.

I think that this graphic is a great stepping stone while trying to set goals. Remembering these things while goal setting can make achieving the goal so much easier.

Weird Week

Due to an unforeseen emergency, I was unable to attend class Wednesday and missed out on viewing a presentation. Although I was upset to have missed so much this week while in and out of the hospital and doctor's office, I am happy to be feeling better now.

It has been a weird week for me and my health, but I realized during this week a few very important things. I am now VERY appreciative of the health insurance I am currently covered by. It's scary to even think about not having coverage, or having a lower level of coverage. Since my mom works at a hospital we have very very good health insurance, so almost none of the tests I went through this week are coming down on us. The insurance is covering everything from ER visits to x-rays and all we had to contribute was the copay. That's CRAZY to me! I can only imagine what it's like to not have coverage and having to pay for everything, especially if it is a necessity.

It was honestly an inconvenient time to get sick, seeing as I did miss a lot in some of my classes. I have been communicating with my professors though, so I feel a little better about it. However, only one of them got back to me in a timely manner (thanks, Bonica). The other two professors I emailed in terms of making up class time and missed assignments have still not answered my questions from Wednesday. This is a good example of bad communication between professors and students! I don't even know if I emailed their correct email!

Oh well, I am finished complaining and will now attempt to make up the rest of the work that I missed. Thanks for reading this odd little post.