Reflection

It is my 3rd and final year at the University of Iowa for grad school, which is a bittersweet moment because I am looking ahead to the next chapter in my life and progression of my career while also ending and soaking up what I can here at Iowa.

I am applying for Health Administrative Fellowships currently and have already gone through many phone interviews and recently completed an on-site interview. Through this process you really start to reflect on how much you have accomplished and how much you still have to learn and grow as the years move forward. It is hard to believe, just recently turning 24, that life is really just getting started, at least it seems that way. I have now been in school for almost a quarter century of my life and now I am applying for positions across the country to begin a career in healthcare. I'm nervous about the future but at the same time excited to put my training into practical use in my career as a health administrator.

I feel like the past years have flown by, and seriously they fly by faster and faster each year. I encourage those reading to take advantage of every opportunity you have and to take risks early and even later, but learning mistakes in school I've been told by mentors is easier than trying to learn them in the 'real world'.

I wish you all the best of luck during mid-terms and will keep you posted on my career search as the weeks fly by :)

Ryan

Checking In: Mid-Terms

Hi All,

As you might of noticed, there has not been much activity lately due to the amount of mid-terms and activities going on here at Iowa! It is hard to believe it has been a week, but I wanted to update you all on life and what has been going on.


Follow-up to Teen Suicides:

There was a candle-light vigil that I think I told you all about a few weeks ago on-campus but the discussion and issues are still circulating through the minds here at Iowa. This upcoming Tuesday, October 26, there is going to be a panel to discuss LBGT suicides. The information is below. This event reminds of why I picked Iowa to come to study my Master's programs, because of the open-minded community and ability to organize issues that are real and relevant to a campus-community. I know it may seem that I am highlighting this issue more than others, but it's more than me just being gay, it's part of a culture change that is occurring across our country. Everything from the recent activity with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to Iowa's ballot decision whether or not to retain judges is reason enough to keep this particular issue on people's agenda and up-to-date on the news. (When referring to Iowa's judges, there is a ballot initiative to either retain them or elect new judges. The current judges helped pass the legality of gay marriage in Iowa, and there are many who want to elect new judges. You can look at from either side, but I hope if your in Iowa reading this you will look into the decision a lot closer)


Panel to Discuss LGBT Suicides Oct. 26

The University of Iowa’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Resource Center is sponsoring a panel discussion about LGBT mental health issues from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26 in the MacBride Hall Auditorium.

Networking and Health Symposium:

In addition to mid-terms this week, there were a lot of events occurring in Health Management and Policy, which is the department I am obtaining my MPH/MHA degrees. There were networking events all Thursday evening, ranging from an HMP Alumni network at Kinnick Stadium to a St. Luke's Hospital (Cedar Rapids, IA) sponsored Iowa Association for Healthcare Leaders (IAHL) networking event at One-Twenty Six restaurant. Both events were great opportunities to connect with fellow classmates but also with alumni of the program, professors and others from the College of Public Health.

Then on Friday, there was the Iowa Health Symposium which focused on "Physician Relationships" within hospitals. This is a very current topic, considering a lot of physicians are now forming group practices and also joining health systems as a way to stay competitive and share resources to serve patients better. Some of the take aways from the conference were:

• To always treat those you work with as "Care Givers" no matter status or position within the hospital because it takes everyone to make a patient's stay comfortable and safe. Another
• Turn metrics into measures
• Realize that not everyone is a leader, but make sure to make available those resources for physicians who may want to lead/you identify should be leaders within the organization.

Here is funny video one of the speakers told us to look up on "YouTube" which I thought was kind of comical, but reminds us to define things and research them before diving into any new situation or action:

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Good Morning Good Morning,

Ryan

College of Public Health: What we're about!

Hey all,

Here is an awesome video of what we're all about here in the College of Public Health at Iowa!

http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/campaign/gallery/video/mission/

Ryan

First Couple Weeks!

Hi All,

I hope you all read a little bit of my bio before reading this post, but just in case I am entering my 2nd year as a dual degree MPH in Policy and MHA candidate within the College of Public Health (CPH) at Iowa! I'm starting the third week of classes and so much has happened that I think I would need a couple book chapters just to fill you in on my life. For tidbit of my summer, I interned at TRICARE Management Activity in San Diego, CA which if you would like to know more, just write a comment on the blog and I'll make it my next entry :)

In the meantime, here are some of the highlights that have gone on:

CPH Picnic/Brothers:

This was my first year attending the picnic in which all of CPH is invited to lower city park for brats, burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers too! It was great to see all the professors and deans in their picnic gear and to be able to meet some of their family members. Also, I always like going to these events because everyone is out of the classroom setting and everyone can kick back and have a good time. I took a lot of pics, which can been seen on our MPH Facebook Page

After the picnic, a lot of us that are in the College of Public Health Student Association (CPHSA) went downtown to a bar called "Brothers" for some drinks and to meet others who couldn't make it to the picnic. It was great to reconnect with friends that I hadn't had time to catch up with since we all got back and Brothers is probably one of my favorite bars downtown when I want to go out for the night.

Football:

So this past weekend was the first Home football game, which was against Eastern Illinois. We dominated them and I forgot how much fun a big-ten football game can feel. I celebrated with others in the program, which I am specifically from the Health Management and Policy (HMP) department within the CPH, but I found myself running into others as the game went on. I will try and post pictures up soon, but for now imagine a sea of gold t-shirts, 10's of thousands of fans all breathing and yelling for the Hawkeyes! I never was a huge football fan until I experienced the magnitude of how serious they take football here, it is definitely a culture ;)

I am looking forward to more fall like weather coming up so I can hit up the apple orchard and enjoy the season in which my birthday falls! I can't wait for this Friday, for the annual Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders (ISAHL) Golf Outing at Brown Deer, which I will blog about in my next entry...until then Good Morning Good Morning, because there's always someone waking up around the world!

Ryan