Meet Angela Raphael, 3rd year HSML student

The pathway to establishing your career is often unclear and takes you on many unexpected turns as you move closer towards fulfilling your goals and dreams.  Angela Raphael, a third year student in the HSML program at GW, has had such an experience.  She shifted from studying dentistry,  realizing direct patient care was not the path for her, and moved into something that she found was a good fit - health care management.  Three years into the HSML program, Angela is thoroughly enjoying the challenges and excitement of being a resident. 

Where are you currently doing your residency and why did you pick that particular institution?

I am currently a resident at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (JHBMC). I mainly picked this institution because of the structured nature of the residency program. I thoroughly enjoyed that my rotations would be pre-determined because it allows an opportunity for me to observe all aspects of hospital operations and further hone in on my niche. Another deciding factor for me was the site visit to JHBMC. During the visit, I was able to get a sense of the level of dedication and commitment from the preceptors of the residency program.  Because the residency program at JHBMC has been in existence for some time, I knew that the administrators and executives both valued and respected the residents and this aspect excited me.

What project(s) are you currently working on?
My first rotation is in the Emergency Department (ED). From the beginning of this rotation, I have been working with the operations analysis workgroup. The workgroup is composed of members from the ED, both clinical and administrative, as well as individuals from Operations Integration, an internal Hopkins consultancy group.  The goal of the workgroup is to improve efficiency and decrease length of stay in the emergency room. I have taken the lead on a project that has evolved from the workgroup meetings. The project entails developing a method to track physician consults in the emergency room to gain a sense of consult turn-around times for each consulting service and to also to learn which services are consulted more frequently.  From the data obtained from this project, the workgroup is hoping to learn whether or not physician consults should indeed be considered a bottleneck in ED operations and if further actions should be taken.

What is a typical day like for you in your organization?
Even as a resident, I would not agree that there is a typical day at JHBMC but this is what excites me. Every day, I try to devote an equal amount of time attending meetings and spending time on project related work but I can’t say that this has been the case.  I can say that I try to consistently work around ten hours a day so that I can meet my project deadlines.

What do you hope to take away from your experience as a resident?
In general, I hope to gain a better understanding of the complexities of academic medical centers. Having an understanding of the dynamics between medical and administrative staff is also of interest to me. From working on various projects, I hope to sharpen my oral and written communication skills as well as presentation skills. Lastly, I hope to further develop my own personal management style. 
 
What are some of your career goals?
Upon completion of my residency, I would like to land a position as an assistant administrator of a service line. After a few years of hospital administration, I would like to go a different route and do some healthcare consulting. I do plan to return to hospital operations as I would like to ultimately become a chief operating officer.