Introduction
The CUNY upskill challenge provided an opportunity for individuals to gain essential skills required by different employers post-COVID-19. Such resources are important in bridging the gaps and deficits in the current market through the use of innovative technology to deliver lessons remotely without having to attend a physical classroom (The City University of New York, 2022). Having the opportunity to participate in such a program provided an eye-opening experience, especially due to the focus on innovation. Choosing the health administration track, which is relevant to my area of specialization, the lessons bundled new information to assist with the development of my career. Further, it also provided key training on how to conduct operations in the new era after the pandemic.
Summary of Experience
The CUNY upskill challenge in health administration aimed to provide knowledge in the healthcare sector. As a future administrator, it is critical to understand the processes and tools necessary to provide world-class care to the millions of patients requiring assistance in different institutions. Consequently, the program provided a variety of lessons with one focussing on the use of sales force to manage data in a hospital setting. For example, the social determinants of health data model “allows you to gain insight into the physical environment and socioeconomic status of a patient and obtain a holistic perspective on factors that influence wellness, adherence, and outcomes” (The City University of New York, 2022). Additionally, the training on Carepath further provided guidance for individuals seeking to venture into careers as care coordinators. These lessons were tailor-made to ensure that individuals can learn only the most relevant and essential aspects involved in the care and management of patients and information.
Apart from that, learning remotely provides unparalleled convenience, especially for individuals working or learning part-time. This offers opportunities for them to choose their learning patterns over a period thus allowing customizations. This makes the program attractive for many individuals who may not have the time to attend regular school schedules. More so, with many of the lessons being on demand, it is possible to plan ahead and create time for the program. This added flexibility is further important for self-paced learning without the unwarranted pressure of deadlines that could affect the learning process.
Furthermore, the experience provided new technical skills, especially in cloud-based solutions that are now important in managing data in health institutions. Data has become an important asset for any institution hence harnessing its potential can help solve a myriad of problems. Being a data detective, possessing the necessary skills to distill information and identify the essential parts provides an avenue to draw the appropriate conclusions. Therefore, the CUNY challenge taught essential skills in the health cloud that can be used to develop models to predict and understand trends. For instance, the use of Health Cloud can assist with planning where “a care plan can have any number of problems, goals, and tasks, which you can track from the patient’s tab in the console. You can also manage the team of caregivers associated with a particular care plan” (The City University of New York, 2022). Such knowledge provides learners with an advantage over others in the industry and can propel careers for the better, especially in highly competitive job markets.
Key Lessons Learned
Innovation has become important in the enhancement of development in any industry. Therefore, as an individual, it is important to have a passion for innovation to be able to identify new information, skills and technologies. This enables one to be knowledgeable on emerging issues that are coming up continuously and improving service delivery. This is based on the knowledge that I am an early bird, with mornings providing ample time for peak focus on new things that I am passionate about. Without such passion, one may get stuck using archaic means to solve problems while newer solutions are available in the market. Therefore, this becomes an important tool in tackling issues in a highly developing world.
Apart from that, it has become evident that leadership can be learned over time with the right tools and processes in place. To become a great leader, one must become a great listener and communicator to enable accurate understanding and passing of information across different channels. This is important to enable one to share their vision for the future and get feedback on areas of improvement to better deliver on their goals. Further, leaders must continue to gain knowledge since the learning must continue to drive change. Such attributes can be developed over time by employing the right attitude and learning from other great leaders who inspire the individual.
Additionally, a key lesson learned is that role of healthcare is to provide service to people in the world. At most times, helpless individuals seek assistance in health institutions and expect to be served by strangers. As a health practitioner, one should gain satisfaction from assisting others in need to get better and support them unconditionally. This means that money should not be the first motivating factor in careers in healthcare but rather the dedication to serve and achieve positive health outcomes in a majority of the cases handled. More so, understanding that the industry is not a vacuum and different players need each other can foster a sense of collaboration in healthcare institutions. Each stakeholder plays their part in ensuring that the overall objectives of the institution can be achieved. Ultimately, by working together, teams can move forward and surpass both individual and group expectations.
Lastly, recognizing weaknesses is an important trait to possess since it enables the implementation of corrective actions. By acknowledging this, an individual can pave the way for learning new things and improving their capabilities. In the long run, this is beneficial since it guarantees improvements likely to initiate positive change. While some people may be unwilling to admit their weaknesses, strong individuals who choose this path have a higher likelihood of overcoming them and becoming better people. Ultimately, weaknesses do not define people but rather show that they are human and cannot be perfect. Therefore, as an individual willing to learn and relearn behaviors, this is the first step in the long road of development and growth.
Conclusion
The CUNY upskill challenge in the health administration program provided a variety of lessons on the use of Salesforce to manage data in a hospital setting. Further Carepath training was designed for individuals seeking to venture into careers as care coordinators. Choosing the health administration track, which is relevant to my area of specialization, the lessons bundled new information to assist with the development of my career. The experience was eye-opening, with learning remotely providing convenience, especially for individuals working or learning part-time. Additionally, the gaining of new technical skills in cloud-based solutions was crucial due to the merging need for managing data in health institutions. Key lessons learned included the importance of having a passion for innovation to identify new information, skills and technologies. More so, recognizing weaknesses, learning leadership skills and acknowledging the role of healthcare service delivery were the functional aspects of the lessons learned. By using the experiences and skills gained from the CUNY upskill challenge, one can become a better person once they step into their career to practice.
Reference
The City University of New York. (2022). CUNY Upskilling. Web.