<p>hello everyone this is Cole from the American Journal of healthc care strategy I'm joined with a wonderful guest from my home state North Carolina Jessica Jessica please introduce yourself hi everyone my name is Jessica SS and I am currently a second year administrative fellow with the Duke Health Integrated practice [Music] we're so happy to have you on not just because you're from North Carolina although that's a big plus but also because you're coming from duke I know a lot of people have heard about Duke and they're excited to learn what that Fellowship is like we just interviewed someone from Mayo Clinic that's going to be going live yesterday and so really excited to have someone from duke as well coming on you know these are popular institutions I want to go back though and talk about where you got your start back in Tennessee I actually have a friend whose son is actually at that University now for his undergraduate degree seems to be enjoying it why did you go to University of Tennessee are you from that area what was that process like for you sure so I'm originally from Memphis Tennessee and as a naive high schooler I wanted to get away from home but not too far I wanted to be close enough where I could go back home for Sunday dinner but still have the space I needed to become my own person and the first time I visited the University of Tennessee I felt this spark it felt like home felt like a home away from home and I just knew it was the place for me and initially when I thought about the major that I wanted to pursue I wanted to pursue chemistry in hopes to pursue a career in the medical field actually and after attending a summer camp for stem Majors the summer before my freshman year um I realized quickly realized that the medical field was not for me so I changed my major before class started to business and I knew that Haslam College of Business would cultivate me and mold me into a young professional a an ambitious individual as I was learning who I was aside from my parents and that's why I chose UT how far is that Knoxville area from Memphis it's six hours away yeah I moved to Charlotte when Charlotte North Carolina when I moved out and that was about two and a half hours so a little bit closer than that but that's wonderful and so you went through the business program you kind of Switched you know early which is great so you didn't have to have any you know wasted credits you know in chemistry is a really tough one I know a lot of the fellow I've talked to they were pre-meds they get to chem one and they say oh I'm not Premed anymore Stu yeah so after you get your degree you decided to get an mha program and is that because you still had that interest in healthcare yeah so during the junior year of my undergraduate degree I interned at a small health system in East Tennessee called Covenant Health and that was the first time I was really exposed to the business side of health care and that's kind of where that initial ignition came from and it was then that I DEC decided to explore NBA versus mha and I always knew that I wanted to attend UNC for whatever reason North Carolina just was speaking to me as a place for my next step in life and so I did a lot of soul searching if you want to call it that to decipher whether or not I wanted to pursue an NBA versus an mha and I was wonderfully connected to a mentor named Jeffrey Sims who I'm pretty sure a lot of people know who that is and he talked to me a lot about what the mha program was about and the community that was there the family that the Gillings Community provides and so I ultimately decided on an mha how did you get uh connected with Jeffrey I think you know one person knows another person and then you you kind of get connected through a network of individuals and I know 5 years isn't a long time but it is in terms of um early on you had that networking then that was going on you start you know when did you really start doing that and expanding your network how how early I I think it was the fall of my senior year that I did that because I ended up doing an internship through the Tennessee Hospital Association and I ended up being placed at an HCA hospital called Parkridge Medical Center in Chattanooga and my mentors there continue to cultivate my professional development my personal development and really helped me to define the direction of my career nice so those internships that networking the one of the things I want to ask of course in North Carolina you can't go wrong you have duk's MBA you have uncc's mha both are in the top 10 there how many mha programs did you end up applying to I applied to two actually very confident in what I wanted to do my capabilities and the two programs were UNCC and UAB and now that obviously two very competitive program and I told myself that if I didn't get into either of those then I would expand and apply to other programs who had later deadlines for applications but I actually got accepted into both and so I had a very tough decision to to make and ultimately I decided on UNC because of the communal aspect that same feeling that I said that I felt at UT the first time I visited I had that same exact feeling at un when I first visited and so I knew from there that it was a no-brainer about where I felt I would fit in and where I would Thrive that's one thing I've actually you're not the only student who's had both of those schools as their top choices you know they are both the best programs they are very different communities and what's so interesting is they're equally amazing in their own way and that's what I love is it gives you that choice and so did UNC live up to that expectation you know in your two years that you spent there yeah it absolutely did I felt challenged in all the right ways I felt like I got exposed to those areas of business that or the business of healthc care that I had not gained exposure in through the internships that I had prior to starting my mha program and then also my cohort was nicknamed the co cohort because we began courses um in the fall of 2020 and so obviously all of our classes that first year were online we were remote and so it was very hard to Foster that ship with all of my classmates and yet we did I think we were all very intentional and very persistent with building those relationships with each other and so you know probably puan carnik I do okay you know all of them I've spoken with most of the it seems like I'm speaking with most of this the same class right now is actually in the cohort behind behind me but I did have some great experiences with puan during my second year and her first year wow how about Ravi ravy no okay I I think she went to a different program but I know she knows most of the the F did you take in any of these UNC basketball games you know while you were there unfortunately no I am not a fan of large crowds or events large scale events that bring a whole lot of people together and even during undergrad I didn't go to a whole lot of UT football games I know you know SEC football games are a really big thing so it's not my jam but I did explore Franklin Street and got to experience you know what the life was like as a UNCC student for sure of course so you got you know you stayed within your comfort zone didn't do anything too crazy but you still got that experience so that's wonderful and then what's interesting too is you did have that internship experience at UAB y so what was that that must have been a great experience that was one of the areas you had gotten into and interviewed for the mha program yeah it was a very full circle moment when I was applying for internships I think I was very intentional with where I applied I wanted to have some Regional diversity or continue adding some Regional diversity to my resume and to my experience you know having started out in Tennessee and then getting my education in North Carolina I felt you know rounding out my Southeastern repertoire s was the way to go um with going to Birmingham Alabama so definitely another challenge definitely I mean a large academic institution like UAB was and it definitely helped me realized that I did not want to pursue a large impatient Hospital which is why I pursued an ambulatory experience for my fellowship but it was great I was challenged in in a number of ways and I really appreciated being able to build on my impatient experience what made you realize that this wasn't something that you wanted to do in terms of large impatient facilities the ways that I was stretched in so many ways I albeit I do appreciate being able to have all of the exposure that I did have to the different areas of a hospital I never really felt like I got to dive in into one specific area and really thrive in that area I feel like it was all very surface level and I craved more more from a service line or I craved more from an arm of business and I thought that with the way that the healthcare industry is trending now with you know trying to keep people out of the hospital I I thought that pursuing an ambulatory focused Fellowship would give me more of that indepth experience in an area of the industry that is exploding right now absolutely it's a huge contrast in terms of what the ad administrators have to deal with and what they can focus on what hospital were you at with UAB was it the main hospital very large one that one is because I know Morgan gagan of Highland are you familiar with her she was actually the fellow at the time who oversaw me and my co- interns so very very fond of Morgan yeah so am I wonderful uh this is so great that we have these connections so it's it is a huge contrast cuz she you know now runs Highland mhm and you know in talking to her she likes the expansiveness the many hats aspect of it and then some of our other fellows like yourself you know you want to be able to focus on that one thing and so that's nice that helped you weed that out so then you went with you applied for those seven fellowships that you mentioned earlier which isn't as many as some fellows have applied for seven is a pretty good number like you said you wanted to stay in the triangle area and then you got into to Dukes you probably actually got into a few right so why did you choose Duke specifically it was in no-brainer honestly that comfortability that I've mentioned before that's a really big priority for me in terms of what I'm looking for in a next step is how I feel that I feel like I'm looking for this synergistic alignment so to speak do I feel like the people that I'm communicating with in this area bring out the Best in Me do I feel guarded do I feel like I have to withhold parts of who I am do I get the vibe that they're going to invest in me and nurture me and appreciate what I bring to the table and what I don't you know and I felt that wholeheartedly um in that final round interview with but it was just that it was it was a feeling it was a feeling nice it's it's wonderful when you find somewhere that you really feel at home with and that you know it's the right decision what the fellowship been like in terms of the layout of those two years Where Have You Been Working what projects have you been working on yeah so the first year the entirety of the first year is all rotations during the summer and fall you are focused within the ulatory space so you are rotating with the different functions of business the different leaders there and you get to hang out with some Clinic leaders as well so a lot of track traving all over the triangle area obviously because we're ambulatory so we have different Clinic sites and those Clinic sites are chosen for you based on your areas of interest and for me that was Women's Health and I was also able to uh hang out with some pediatric clinics as well and also Cardiology because I have experien with Cardiology service lines in the past so that was really cool to see all of those areas from an ambulatory perspective and then in in the spring we broaden our Horizon by rotating through the health system side it's not a side anymore but the health system the larger health system so the two uh the three hospital locations the main hospital Regional as well as uh the Raleigh Hospital and we um rotate with the leaders at each of those locations I really appreciated that again getting that very broad exposure to how Duke does care and being able to identify where I feel like my Niche might be um in the broader Health System um and then in the second year you are to choose an area of focus and that's exactly what it sounds like an area in the health system within the larger health system that you want to focus your time and your efforts um as a fellow for your project work I chose strategic planning and Women's Health I came into the fellowship guns blazing for for operations I was very sure that I was going to be an operations leader but again after those initial rotations I quickly realized that's not really the life that I wanted to live it wasn't where my skills and my talents really flourished so through additional rotations I thought that strategy Business Development was better for me and my time with strategic planning and with our Women's Health leaders has been phenomenal and definitely grateful for this second year and how I have watched myself grow wow so that's an incredible fellowship program it sounds like because you've actually been able to really narrow down and then after you've narrowed it down you're able to get even more experience so you're GNA be very well prepared to lead exactly I want to ask what is Women's Health from the Duke perspective you know up in some other areas of the Northeast that might just be OBGYN or or something else so is that from what is the Duke version of women's health the leadership within our OBGYN dep Department as it currently stands is doing some really great work to broaden what Women's Health means including Gynecology and all other aspects of women's health so not just OBGYN but everything from routine mammograms and Well Woman visits of within the primary care space we are really trying to ensure that in terms of branding it is it is a all-encompassing women's health brand and that is how we're offering our care we're ensuring that we're breaking down those silos and Breaking Down the Walls from the different Subs Specialties within Women's Health but making sure that no matter what ailment a woman is coming into U trusting us you know to care for them with um we are ensure that we are caring for that person in every aspect is Duke doing with with access especially to some of these essential screenings that other large Health Systems have really struggled with is it still a struggle or is this new approach where you're able to have all-encompassing women's health is it providing more access especially to the most needy what does that look like in that area yeah it access in general is a struggle for us as I think it is for every everybody but I'm actually a part of this systemwide project where we are working on expanding contraceptive care for women as well as for men through vasectomy procedures and I know that's one small sliver of what women's health is but I feel really proud and honored and grateful to be a part of this work to uh tackle the limitations that we have somehow put put on ourselves as Healthcare institutions to expand uh how we meet the needs of our patients and I've been very intentional about how I use my seat at the table to ensure that we are tackling this problem from varying perspectives and like you said from those who are most in need you know you don't know the type of patients that are out there because that's not your situation right and so thinking about young teens and you know they might be afraid to talk about contraceptive care in front of their parents well how do we have that conversation still how do we ensure that they're getting what they need so that we can prevent health issues later down the road for those teens or whomever else you know or when we think about women who have pre-existing conditions how does contraceptive care affect their underlying conditions and then for men who are open to the conversation about having a vasectomy how do we ensure that they are getting the appropriate counseling so that they can make the best decision for them and for their family so it's a lot to tackle but I'm definitely honored to be a part of this work so there's so many layers to even these simple issues I remember I was doing a work I I created a Pap tool kit for our Outreach coordinators to help women get their PS completed in one crazy thing that I learned at a health conference which you know as a man never even thought of it was that in sex ed women aren't taught anything about papsmear yeah and so they turn 18 you know they're on their own they're out of school and then all of a sudden they're 21 it's like whoa I got to do what now this does not sound good and it's it's a terrifying experience I know I talked to my wife about it now and she's like oh yeah you have no idea what's going on because they never even taught you about it in school and so it's an incredible work that you're doing I'm very passionate about that as well it seems like you feel very fulfilled in what you're doing absolutely very much so that was and I think I was very intentional about all the soul searching that is required um as an early careerist and maybe it's born out of fear as well for being stuck in a job that I hate but definitely Tred to make some intentional decisions very early on so that I could have these types of conversations and ensure that it was evident that I love what I do and I feel like I am having an impact on patients lives beyond the four walls of a clinic Beyond The Four Walls of a hospital I want my career to be evidence of improving the lives of patients from a holistic perspective I'm sure you know of course myself but a lot of our listeners want to be in that position that you are in now you know you want to be successful and happy about our careers what is any advice you know of course intentionality is probably the number one piece of advice that you've given us so far but is there anything else that you would recommend to us so that we can be as successful as you've been oh well thank you for thinking that I'm a success I feel like I'm still working on it but I won't deny the or acknowledge the accomplishments I've created for myself thus far but something that I did for myself very early on was create a mantra something that I could revisit in times of doubt and when that impostor syndrome creep creeps up on all of in my mantra during grad school and through the fellowship interview process and all of that has been that I am undeniable um I'm not just competitive right because all of my peers all of my classmates who are in fellowships right now or who are seeking out fellowships we all go through mha or NBA programs we all have these wonderful internship experiences we're all competitive candidates and we all have these great skills and talents that we can bring to the table to improve wherever it is that we land so that's great I appreciate that I can see myself as competitive but that doesn't set me apart from the next person right I'm undeniable when you see my resume when you shake my hand when you meet me after a conversation I'm undeniable that you can't deny the Charisma or the aptitude or whatever it is that you perceive about me you can't deny that and because I again like you said I'm very inent about how I present myself how I tell my story and the work that I do I'm very intentional about all of that and so I think that helps in terms of my confidence in how I present and it makes a difference in how I show up to work meetings and the work that I complete and and all of those things it it really does go back to confidence and having that Mantra whatever yours may end up being it helps you stay grounded in who you are and what you are and what you're capable of despite all of the noise that you might be experiencing around you wonderful advice Jessica thank you so much for joining us during your lunch hour today pleasure I could be more appreciative and hopefully we can have you back on once you probably settle into your leadership role after your fellowship yes definitely</p>