Lessons Learned Through My Journey at WGU
One of the biggest takeaways from my journey with WGU was my discovery of how much I knew about what I was studying. I frequently found myself saying, “I know this,” or “I do this - I just never had a name for it”. What an epiphany that was for me! This is not to say that I did not learn anything through my studies; I learned a vast amount that I will use throughout my career. I would say the most significant career lessons I learned are in the areas of Evidence-based Practice, Professional Responsibility, and in Strategic Management.
Evidence-Based Practice
I thought I was all too familiar with evidence-based practice. Medical education preaches evidence-based practice like a minister on Sunday morning. Dr. David Sackett, the father of evidence-based medicine, defined it as "the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values” (2000). Although the term “evidence-based” is a healthcare buzzword, I realized through my studies that the concept of applying evidence to support ideas is not a new concept. In fact, it is required for any legitimate scholarly activity to be taken seriously. The lesson here comes in the knowledge that everything we do in healthcare needs to be evidence-based, even in my work in graduate medical education. Everything, from creating evaluations to structuring a mentoring program to setting up a robotic surgery curriculum for the OR, can benefit from a review of the literature.
The concept of sharing best practices is really another way of thinking about evidence-based practice. What worked for other industries, organizations or departments? What can we implement based on that evidence to update our systems and processes to improve outcomes? This paradigm shift has caused me to look at everything differently; I now question if there are any findings that may help me with my activities/projects. For example, I recently started working with colleagues to structure a national mentoring program to support other educational coordinators. We started a literature review to see what other specialties created and what the outcomes were; we will use that data in creating our own program in the hopes that learning from the success and failures of other programs will translate to a good outcome for ours. This is such a simple concept that was really staring me right in the face, yet it will make a huge difference in how I approach things moving forward.
The concept of sharing best practices is really another way of thinking about evidence-based practice. What worked for other industries, organizations or departments? What can we implement based on that evidence to update our systems and processes to improve outcomes? This paradigm shift has caused me to look at everything differently; I now question if there are any findings that may help me with my activities/projects. For example, I recently started working with colleagues to structure a national mentoring program to support other educational coordinators. We started a literature review to see what other specialties created and what the outcomes were; we will use that data in creating our own program in the hopes that learning from the success and failures of other programs will translate to a good outcome for ours. This is such a simple concept that was really staring me right in the face, yet it will make a huge difference in how I approach things moving forward.
Professional Responsibility
Professional Responsibility is a concept within both Business & Healthcare Ethics and is a theme that runs throughout the Healthcare Management curriculum. Professionals are people with a specialized expertise that generally serves the common good, allows them special privileges, and sometimes requires them to have certain responsibilities to the public (Desjardins, 2013). Healthcare professionals are a special breed; their expertise involves healing or caring for other people. The codes of ethics for physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professions all mention a need to follow high ethical standards; articulate a duty of care for the patient; and a responsibility to themselves, colleagues, and to society as a whole (Pozgar, 2013).
My studies helped me to realize that my position as a graduate medical education administrator also holds a certain duty to the public. My Program Director and I are responsible for the training of residents and fellows. As such, we are in a unique position to observe the academic, clinical and professional performance of our physicians in training. We are required to give an honest and accurate report of trainees’ clinical performance and activity, behavioral issues and disciplinary matters to the medical licensure board, our accrediting body, certifying boards, and to future programs (i.e. fellowships) and employers. All of this is done in the name of protecting the patient.
I have been in the unpleasant position of terminating a resident for lapses in professionalism and holding back residents for remediation that extended length of training. I was guilt-ridden about it because I was fond of them and I worried about what would become of them. “We must recognize that acting on principle can require real courage, discipline or will power” (Desjardins, 2013); these courses assuaged my guilt and made me realize that I acted rightly and should continue to do so. Despite my affection for a trainee, we should not allow them the privilege of caring for patients if they are deficient, incompetent or unprofessional. Even though I may feel badly for the individual, I should take solace in the thought that I am upholding a duty to society by not allowing unqualified doctors to practice medicine.
My studies helped me to realize that my position as a graduate medical education administrator also holds a certain duty to the public. My Program Director and I are responsible for the training of residents and fellows. As such, we are in a unique position to observe the academic, clinical and professional performance of our physicians in training. We are required to give an honest and accurate report of trainees’ clinical performance and activity, behavioral issues and disciplinary matters to the medical licensure board, our accrediting body, certifying boards, and to future programs (i.e. fellowships) and employers. All of this is done in the name of protecting the patient.
I have been in the unpleasant position of terminating a resident for lapses in professionalism and holding back residents for remediation that extended length of training. I was guilt-ridden about it because I was fond of them and I worried about what would become of them. “We must recognize that acting on principle can require real courage, discipline or will power” (Desjardins, 2013); these courses assuaged my guilt and made me realize that I acted rightly and should continue to do so. Despite my affection for a trainee, we should not allow them the privilege of caring for patients if they are deficient, incompetent or unprofessional. Even though I may feel badly for the individual, I should take solace in the thought that I am upholding a duty to society by not allowing unqualified doctors to practice medicine.
Strategic Management
Strategic management is a fundamental concept in business, encompassing the development of long-term plans and the cultivation of insight, intuition, situational awareness and adaptation. One of the texts refers to responsiveness and adaptation as vital to the survival of an organization (Bateman & Snell, 2014, p. 296); especially in today’s rapidly changing business and healthcare environments. Mark Schellinger, Co-founder and Director of Business Development for a leading home care company put it best in his recent Forbes article:
- "The growth culture isn't a component of a company's strategy, it is the company's strategy. Growth is a framework that needs to drive all operational tasks, projects and initiatives of a company. The DNA of the company needs to be growth. Opportunities for growth are endless and should always be seized." (2018)
One of the most important lessons that experience teaches is that, on the whole,
success depends more upon character than upon either intellect or fortune." William Edward Hartpole Lecky