Maria Ducharme | The Miriam Hospital president
I was drawn to health care as far back as when I was a teen volunteering at a senior care facility. I loved helping others and working in a team environment. Never did I envision that I would one day become president of a hospital and lead an entire workforce through a pandemic. During these challenging times, there are a few things that I try to keep top of mind as a leader.
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Communicate with confidence. Our employees need support to collect and make cohesive all the expert information on COVID-19 that is available. They need it to provide guidance and to be empowered, in some cases to stray from established models.
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Encourage innovation. While individuals are looking for leaders, we must also provide them tools to be strategic thinkers and innovators. There is no doubt that post-pandemic, operations will fundamentally change. Crises make way for disruptive innovation and many positive, long-lasting impacts. We must take advantage of this opportunity to address entrenched conventions that prevent forward movement.
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Focus on your people. Health care is relationship-based and human resources can differentiate an organization. This past year provided a powerful example of that. To retain our most valuable resource – our employees – it is important to recognize teamwork, as well as the unique contributions of each member of the team. And while health care workers understand compassionate care, they are not always proficient in taking care of themselves.
We need to provide them outlets for self-care and respite to ensure they continue to have the energy for what they love to do most – care for others.