Women In Health IT
Don't wait to learn that lesson the hard way, time away from work is not optional.
Whether the doctor or patient is a Democrat, Independent, or Republican, the numbers are clear that people think healthcare coverage is important for all.
I am a lean leader and always willing to share my learnings. I’ve written several blog posts chronicling my lean experience at different organizations.
New and unexpected opportunities can be just around the corner.
“Overall, women have made great strides in the workforce, but the reality is there are still gaps and room for improvement. Lately, however, there has been a welcome shift,” Christina Caraballo, senior healthcare strategist at Get Real Health, writes in a recent blog.
Caraballo, recognized by HIMSS at HIMSS17 with a “Most Influential Women in Healthcare IT Award, writes about how times are changing for the better.
“Organizations like HIMSS are openly recognizing the wealth of strong, competent women working behind the scenes in this burgeoning industry,” she writes. “Being named as one of the most influential women in Health IT by HIMSS is both intimidating and exhilarating. It is an honor to be recognized, but it also creates high expectations to continue to make a positive impact as we reshape the way we think about and deliver health care around the world. I am most excited when I think about what lies ahead, and how I can continue to play a role in building communities."
Caraballo goes on to write about Parkour, a workout regimen that has its roots in training Special Forces Units. She also writes about advocates moving out of their comfort zones, mentoring and encouraging others,
She notes: “I am inspired by my colleagues who constantly lift me up and who share my ideology and enthusiasm for empowering others.”
Read the entire blog here.
Get inspired by a panel of distinguished women who share their journeys of transformational change and innovation in the health sector from nursing, to government, to business.
We have two little dogs. Pepe is a 10-year old Shih Tzu/poodle and Coco is an 8-year old Shih Tzu /Bichon. Pepe had been getting frailer and weaker throughout the Fall months.
We thought this might be her last year with us. But her blood work in November showed that she has a thyroid problem. She now gets a daily medication and has more energy and no longer sleeps most of the day. The name Pepe (as in peppy) is fitting her again.
She had also been losing weight and getting very thin. So, we started her on canned food. Maybe she had a problem with the dry food she has always eaten. Or maybe Coco, who is dominant, wasn’t letting her get to the food dish. What dog or cat doesn’t love canned food? Pepe loves it and has been gaining weight. While my husband and I are still getting used to that nasty moment when you first open the can of wet food, we do it because we love her and want her to gain weight and get strong. It’s working.
When we recently took Pepe to the vet to deal with a digestive problem, the vet found she had a broken tooth and the area around it was inflamed. She would need surgery to have it pulled. That happened this week and all is well. She is even back to eating treats that take some chewing. In hindsight, the broken tooth could have been the reason she stopped eating the dry food.
Animals can’t talk or “use their words” as we tell small children, so it’s hard to know when something is wrong. And it’s hard to know the interconnections between all these issues.
Coco acts as Pepe’s advocate or, as we joke, her lawyer. Pepe doesn’t bark to tell us what she needs but Coco senses it and does, or comes to find us. Pepe may need to get out of the room where she eats the canned food alone. Maybe she needs to go outside, or sometimes she needs to be carried down the stairs. Her eyesight is getting worse so she doesn’t like to go down a full flight of stairs. She sits at the top and waits for us to carry her down – “waiting at the bus stop” as we call it.
Coco, the “barking lawyer”, couldn’t know about the health issues so her advocacy didn’t help there. If you’re old enough to remember Lassie, you’ll know why that is another nickname for Coco at times. Coco sniffs Pepe thoroughly from head to tail when Pepe returns from a vet visit. I’m afraid that the day Pepe leaves this world, Coco is going to be one very depressed little dog.
It was up to my husband and I to work with the vet to figure out if something was seriously wrong with Pepe. I’m glad we didn’t just assume she was slowing down in her old age. Our little “grandma dog” seems to have a new lease on life. Who knows for how long? At least we’re dealing with the issues that we can.
The healthcare lesson in this story is you need to be your own advocate or find one if you can’t be. Find your voice and tell your healthcare providers or advocate about your symptoms. Don’t accept a condition that may be treatable. You’ll be glad you did. Here’s to your health!
This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.
The remedy is in better design.
The approach opens endless possibilities for checking in, follow-up and teamwork. Yet there is still a lot to be said about face-to-face meetings.
Remember those first few days on a new job? You were officially on-boarded, and signed a lot of forms. You learned all the basic processes and policies that new employees need to know. And you got the big picture of the organization’s mission, vision, values and culture. Your head is spinning by the end of day one and even week one, but everyone is patient with you. They recognize that it is a lot to take in.