140: Navigating Healthcare IT Leadership with Laura Marquez

The Healthcare QualityCast

Introducing our guest in this episode, Laura Marquez, who is currently the Assistant Vice President of IT Applications at UConn Health, overseeing electronic health records, business applications, and business intelligence. With a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Laura had taken interest in a Clinical Informatics course which started to build her passion in that field. In this episode, Laura shares her experience with IT in the healthcare sector as well as detailed knowledge of key leadership concepts with particular emphasis on empathy in the workplace. Top Takeaways [05:11] IT is a customer service department focused on delivering solutions and tools to other departments to aid patient care. [08:06] About Laura's TEDx talk: The most valuable asset at any organization is the people that work there. Listeners are encouraged to listen to Laura's TEDx talk to learn more about leadership and empathy in the workplace. [11:48] Learning empathy: Everyone receives feedback differently and wants constructive criticism differently. [18:29] Facilitating teamwork can be achieved by having team norms that are agreed upon, making it easier to note and address behaviors that don't align. [24:06] Your view has to change as you go higher in your career because you can now empathize with younger professionals, having faced similar challenges. Rather than judge them, accept the work they do even if you may have done it differently, as long as the goals were achieved. [29:13] Current changes in the Healthcare industry: Bringing digital tools into the clinical space is a major ongoing development, with particular consideration given to ensure these digital tools are very accessible to patients. [32:57] Listeners with interest or opportunities in healthcare are encouraged to be bold, be brave and apply for healthcare jobs; even without a background in healthcare, there are translatable skills. [36:10] The 'STAR' Interviewing method: When asked behavioral-type questions, follow the STAR method (Situation Task, Action, Result) as this helps you respond concisely to meet all parameters being evaluated by the question. [39:50] Best career advice: What's the worst that could happen, take risks, be bold. [40:32] Choose your attitude: How do you think you're showing up, what does the best you look like today? [42:32] Habits that contribute to success when leading projects: Have a questioning mindset and imbibe this in your team. The 7-second rule: when you ask a question, you need to pause and count for 7 seconds because that allows time and space for the introverts to answer. This also helps keep a continuous feedback loop to be sure you're in the right direction. [44:14] Mobile website recommendation: LinkedIn, Newsfeeds, [46:31] A professional society recommendation: A.C.H.E (American College of Healthcare Executives) [47:21] Book recommendation: “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown. [49:00] Laura's message to herself in the past; When one door closes, a window opens, keep your head high. Her message to her future self; Told you so! Listen to your guts more often. [51:36] Final advice from Laura: We have to remember that we can only control our own thoughts and reactions, we can't control those of other people. How do you want to be perceived? Work on your emotional intelligence so that your intents and perceptions match. Key Quotes: "Let's invite people in and raise them up so that everyone can do their best" "Every single person should go through emotional intelligence training and situational awareness training" "Look forward, not sideways… focus on yourself and not on others" Connect: Find | Laura Marquez On LinkedIn --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/healthcarequalitycast/message