Making a Positive Impact on Healthcare

Not only is Ashly Best a Process Management & Consulting major, she also works as a Department Assistant for Surgical Services at Chippenham Hospital. How will she use her personal, academic and work experiences to make a positive impact on healthcare?

About Me

I transferred from John Tyler Community College with an Associate's Degree in Business Administration to William & Mary. Here my Individual Program of Study includes a major in Process Management & Consulting, a concentration in Management & Organizational Leadership, as well as my work experience.

I drive nearly 1000 miles each week commuting between my home in Prince George to school in Williamsburg to my job in Richmond. Aside from the miles driven and dollars spent on gas, the countless experiences that have led me to William & Mary are invaluable.

After graduating high school, I worked in tourism and gained experience in marketing and public relations. A few years later, I began working for HCA Healthcare as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Nursing Officer and Associate Nurse Executive at CJW Medical Center. Being intimately exposed to nursing, I learned a lot about patient relations, patient safety, quality management and creating an optimum environment of care. I fell in love with healthcare and decided to pursue a degree in Business Administration.

A few months after I began my college coursework, my grandmother was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma. She passed away about a year later, but I will never forget the excellent care that she received and how humbled I was about the overall experience. Since then, I was certain that I wanted nothing more than to reach out to others – patients and their families – and make a positive impact on their perception of healthcare.

Impact & Engagement

In addition to taking classes, I also work as a Department Assistant for Surgical Services at CJW Medical Center's Chippenham Campus and provide administrative support to seven surgery departments. Working in Surgical Services has helped me to learn more about the various aspects of a hospital department and how it functions.

One of my biggest projects has been reviewing and organizing the policies and procedures for each unit within Surgical Services. I have also been developing the Surgical Services department page on our hospital's intranet so that staff can have quick and easy access to vital documents such as the policies and procedures.

My employment with HCA has been a wonderful learning experience, because it allows me to work side by side with some of the industry's top healthcare professionals and gain knowledge and skills first-hand. Working in the field I love while studying at the Mason School of Business has helped me to meet even more of my personal and professional goals and fueled me to continue to learn and grow.

Highlights

There were numerous opportunities to incorporate my personal and professional interests into projects I had during the Integrated Foundation Semester. In Computer Skills for Business with Prof. Andre Araujo, my final assignment allowed me to see which MBA program would be best for me financially by utilizing capital budgeting skills we learned throughout the semester. Business Ethics taught me principles that I have carried with me beyond the classroom and has enabled me to make better decisions in the workplace and in my personal life.

My exposure to a mix of unique personalities in the classroom has helped me to look at things in new perspectives and produce more meaningful work. I feel that this exposure has primed me to meet challenges with greater vigor and empower others to create positive change.

The Mason School of Business continuously inspires its students through conversations, presentations and activities it shares with the student body. The professors are unbelievably passionate about what they do and encourage me to always think outside of the box.

They encourage students to take an active interest in what is going on in the world of business. Thanks to this, I have become more involved in what is going on not only in business, but in healthcare. Looking more closely at the industry has helped me define my personal interests and plan for the future.

Next Steps

I will continue to work in healthcare while pursuing my Bachelor's Degree. In the coming months, I am planning to shadow healthcare executives and hospital directors to learn more about physician relationships, patient satisfaction, lean strategies and quality management. This summer I would like to conduct healthcare related research with faculty to further enhance my academic and professional experience.

I am also interested in networking with fellow students who have had healthcare related experience or would like to. I think there is opportunity to talk about what our generation can do for the future of healthcare, as well as the opportunity to make an impact and influence on generations to come. After graduating from William & Mary, I plan to continue on to a Masters program.