Well, that may be a bit optimistic of me. Perhaps I should rephrase
that as "I may have found a place where I can kinda sorta use my
skills at least a few hours per week". Ever since my brief
assignment with World Learning came to an abrupt end, I've been
looking for a way to be of some assistance to this community. In
effect, I've been searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
I've felt like a kid lost in a grocery store…at times content to
aimlessly wander and at other times frantically searching the aisles
looking for a familiar face. At some point you just want to sit down
and wait to be found. And ultimately that's what I did.
Charlie, my New Mexico friend, is a hospital CEO currently working for
the Clinton Foundation. Based out of Bahar Dar, his job is to serve
as a mentor/advisor to his Ethiopian peers while they in turn try to
implement a Hospital Management Standard developed by the Yale School
of Public Heath and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. Suffice it to
say that this project is an enormous, but desperately needed,
undertaking.
And where do I fit in? Well Charlie can't be everywhere at once.
The hospitals that are under his responsibility are days apart. Phone
and internet service are inconsistent. I, consequently, have found
myself serving as the "in-house" advisor to the hospital CEO in our
town. When I first met Shegaw and heard Charlie rant and rave about
my experience and skill set, my first thought was OH NO! I've never
been a CEO. I've never worked at that level in administration. Yes,
I have hospital experience (lots of it), but managing two PT
departments is a far cry from running a hospital. But Shegaw doesn't
seem to think my experience is inconsequential. He's never been a CEO
before either. He is gracious, humble, and open to new ideas from
anyone and everyone…me included.
Part of his on the job training is through Jimma University where he
and the other newly established CEO's are working on their Master's in
Healthcare Administration. His assignments for the program are things
that he is expected to implement at the hospital. What a great and
practical way to learn!
So what do I actually do? It's certainly not a 9 to 5 type of day.
I guess I would consider it "project based." One of the first things
that I was asked to do was administer a pilot study on patient
satisfaction. The concept of soliciting feedback from patients and
using that information to enhance service is new to Ethiopia. It is
also a foreign concept for patients to be encouraged to give a
critique. In this country, speaking out has not always been met with
the best of outcomes. I've also assisted Shegaw in performing a
hospital wide quality assessment (for you healthcare people out there,
think JCAHO—but miniaturized). It was fabulous to be on the side of
the reviewer rather than at the mercy of said reviewer for once in my
professional life!
In Shegaw's short tenure (he's only been on the job for 10 months)
he's made some significant strides. For example, we now have a
bio-fuel system that collects all of the hospital waste, allows the
gas to build, and then channels it to the kitchens for fuel (no more
environmentally disastrous tree cutting…woohoo!). There are still
many challenges and obstacles ahead. The first and foremost being
that there is no water in the patient wards. Can you imagine working
in a hospital where you can't easily wash your hands in between
patients? And, then, consider what that means for infection control.
I can't tell you what a relief it is to have been found. To have a
place where I feel needed and useful and where I may actually be able
to make a contribution. Like many things here, this may be a fleeting
opportunity. But for now, I will gladly jump in with both feet and
see where the current takes me. Carpe diem!
that as "I may have found a place where I can kinda sorta use my
skills at least a few hours per week". Ever since my brief
assignment with World Learning came to an abrupt end, I've been
looking for a way to be of some assistance to this community. In
effect, I've been searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
I've felt like a kid lost in a grocery store…at times content to
aimlessly wander and at other times frantically searching the aisles
looking for a familiar face. At some point you just want to sit down
and wait to be found. And ultimately that's what I did.
Charlie, my New Mexico friend, is a hospital CEO currently working for
the Clinton Foundation. Based out of Bahar Dar, his job is to serve
as a mentor/advisor to his Ethiopian peers while they in turn try to
implement a Hospital Management Standard developed by the Yale School
of Public Heath and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. Suffice it to
say that this project is an enormous, but desperately needed,
undertaking.
And where do I fit in? Well Charlie can't be everywhere at once.
The hospitals that are under his responsibility are days apart. Phone
and internet service are inconsistent. I, consequently, have found
myself serving as the "in-house" advisor to the hospital CEO in our
town. When I first met Shegaw and heard Charlie rant and rave about
my experience and skill set, my first thought was OH NO! I've never
been a CEO. I've never worked at that level in administration. Yes,
I have hospital experience (lots of it), but managing two PT
departments is a far cry from running a hospital. But Shegaw doesn't
seem to think my experience is inconsequential. He's never been a CEO
before either. He is gracious, humble, and open to new ideas from
anyone and everyone…me included.
Part of his on the job training is through Jimma University where he
and the other newly established CEO's are working on their Master's in
Healthcare Administration. His assignments for the program are things
that he is expected to implement at the hospital. What a great and
practical way to learn!
So what do I actually do? It's certainly not a 9 to 5 type of day.
I guess I would consider it "project based." One of the first things
that I was asked to do was administer a pilot study on patient
satisfaction. The concept of soliciting feedback from patients and
using that information to enhance service is new to Ethiopia. It is
also a foreign concept for patients to be encouraged to give a
critique. In this country, speaking out has not always been met with
the best of outcomes. I've also assisted Shegaw in performing a
hospital wide quality assessment (for you healthcare people out there,
think JCAHO—but miniaturized). It was fabulous to be on the side of
the reviewer rather than at the mercy of said reviewer for once in my
professional life!
In Shegaw's short tenure (he's only been on the job for 10 months)
he's made some significant strides. For example, we now have a
bio-fuel system that collects all of the hospital waste, allows the
gas to build, and then channels it to the kitchens for fuel (no more
environmentally disastrous tree cutting…woohoo!). There are still
many challenges and obstacles ahead. The first and foremost being
that there is no water in the patient wards. Can you imagine working
in a hospital where you can't easily wash your hands in between
patients? And, then, consider what that means for infection control.
I can't tell you what a relief it is to have been found. To have a
place where I feel needed and useful and where I may actually be able
to make a contribution. Like many things here, this may be a fleeting
opportunity. But for now, I will gladly jump in with both feet and
see where the current takes me. Carpe diem!
Shegaw
The entrance to our hospital.
