Health management career.pdf

Conan Dickson Assistant Administrator The Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center Baltimore, Maryland B.B.A., Accounting, Auburn University (Alabama) B.S., Health Systems Management, Auburn University M.P.H., Health Policy and Administration, Yale University (Connecticut) Doctoral Candidate, Health Policy and Management, The Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) W I T H A N I N T E R E S T in medical school, I spent the summer after my sophomore year working in an emergency department as a volunteer. I discovered the emergency department is an amazing place where everyone there works together for one purpose—to help sick people. I wanted to be part of such a team, but had difficulty deciding which healthcare job interested me the most. Fortunately, I realized that one position would allow me to take advantage of my inability to decide on a vocation: healthcare administrator. The administrator works with every position in a healthcare setting and serves as a leader, mediator, coordinator, and facilitator to ensure that all the members of a healthcare team work together. I called a couple of administrators and asked them if I could come and talk with them. They encouraged me to find a major that would allow me to develop skills needed not only to be a leader, but also to run a business. Following their advice, I declared majors in health sys- tems management and accounting. The health administration pro- gram required an internship, which taught me the importance of hav- ing a mentor, developing relationships with other administrators 70 careers in healthcare management through a professional society, developing my own management style, and continuing with a graduate le