The Children's Mercy Kansas City Administrative Fellowship with Dave Gardner

<p>[Music] hello everyone this is Cole from the American Journal of healthc care strategy and here with me is David or Dave rather excuse me Dave he's an administrative fellow at the uh Children's Mercy in hospital in Kansas City Dave please go ahead and introduce yourself and share a bit about your story yeah absolutely man thanks for having me Cole and uh like you said my name is Dave Gardner I'm currently one of the administrative fellows at Children's Mercy Kansas City I'm originally from Chicago Illinois from the Southside and then I uh went ahead and pursued my undergrad degree at u university Missouri Columbia I've received a bachelor's in health science with the emphasis in leadership and policy and I decided to do my graduate school in there as well and I uh graduated this and last May with my uh masters of healthcare administration and my masters of business administration it's a impressive career you've already had so far it's really impressive and then so you know what caused you to go from Chicago to the University of Missouri what interested you in in making that move yeah absolutely so I mean man It's Kind of a Funny Story I wanted to be a vet for a very long time and I went to the University of Missouri because I have a great animal science program and that was my original major I was animal science major I was going to the farm every week then I switched over to biology still wanting to be a vet and I think it hit me my the end of my sophomore year like all right maybe I'm not that good at the applied sciences and I might have to figure something else out so you know I had never even heard of healthcare administration it was always just doctors and nurses is what came to mind as I thought about healthc care and whatnot so I started doing uh informational interviews with different people around uh the missou community and I interviewed over at the school of Health Professions and I mean it changed everything once I learned about that career path and was able to get involved over there incredible what did you what did you like about it yeah yeah absolutely so I mean once once I got over there I became really involved I was a student ambassador for the school of Health Professions I was the student lead for the black alumni panel it just got it very involved in the different work that they had going on and then it it was just such a good support system over there as well I had a great advisor that was really supportive and in order to graduate uh missou Health Science Program you have to complete an internship so that led to me doing my uh first internship and Healthcare first time working in the hospital in uh 2021 so that was a great experience and you know I'm really thankful for my mentor that I had throughout that process really guided me along and opening that door for me to even experience this wonderful wonderful and then that that hospital that you were at in your internship or that experience that was not with children right no yeah so uh that during that time uh I I was working at the University of Missouri Healthcare so I completed an internship and I ended up staying there and uh working as an intern still and then I also did my graduate internship there with their director of diversity equity and inclusion uh dur summer between my first and second year at grad school so I I definitely had uh I worked there about three years it was a good experience for sure I made some great connections there and I feel like I learned a lot especially with me entering the healthc care field a little late late on my end definitely but you you said that they were really supportive there specifically what what are some things that you know they did that was that really made your experience you know worthwhile yeah absolutely I mean just even from the networking standpoint of really being able to get connected with different an alumni that uh graduated and were working in similar roles uh whether that was local at mu Healthcare or uh I mean I think a really perfect example is Tommy Thomas was our diversity and Equity coordinator for the school of Health Professions and he connected me with someone that he had went to missou with like years ago and he actually City Smith he actually drove up to Columbia and met with me sat down and had lunched with me and shared more about his career path he uh drove up from Kansas City so I mean just that right there was just such a strong show of Will and that how you know much support was in that program and you know just people believing in me and helping push me forward so that was something that I really appreciated and now that I'm here in Kansas City you know me and City connect often and that's still a great mentor that I have uh in my corner for sure so just just being supported in that realm and the exposure that I was able to get from different people that I networked with that connected with that is excellent and especially where it was the the diversity and inclusion you said it was the chief diversity officer oh at mu Healthcare as working with our director of uh that's impressive because one of the things I've been telling Fellowship programs when I meet with them is you know okay you have the SE Suite there and it's usually usually the CFO and the CEO but I've been saying what you really need to have is your Chief people or your Chief diversity officer there because when people come into a system they're not always just trying to improve Finance some people are really trying to improve equity and when they don't see that there it sends up red flag so that's incredible that they had you tied in with those people so that you could pursue what you're interested in and I noticed that based on some articles I was reading about you that you are really interested in in pushing Health Equity forward yeah yeah absolutely I think you know that's one of the biggest draws for me to be in the healthcare field is the the ability to really change things at a systematic level it feels like and you know really influence help influence the work I'm doing and interfacing with the community especially just from my background and the things that I grew up you know seeing people uh not Health literate at all not understand you know when to take their medication not being able to afford medication bring up in a food desert things like that I feel like just learning throughout my programs and really understanding the circumstances and the differences and the health outcomes that people face dep based on their socioeconomic class their race ethnicity things like that you know it's things like that that really push me to want to do that work and open those doors for other people and really help improve accessibility to Care Health Equity and just work towards overall health and Justice in general and I think that was a big draw to Children's Mercy too because uh we actually do have a chief equity and inclusion officer Michelle wies and she's been a excellent mentor to me since I've uh been at the organization and I wanted to ask you about that as well what was the application process like how many different you know Fellowship programs did you apply you and then what made you choose this one yeah so uh I ended up applying to five Fellowship programs and I mean what really drew me to Children's Mercy I feel like the just the process with their previous fellow recruiting I think that was very strong she really showed the values that they have and exhibited so much kindness throughout the process that was a big draw for me and then my own research into the organization as well really pushed me in that direction I felt like I aligned with the values that the organization had and creating a world of well-being for all children I think just that commitment to inclusion and diversity on that end was something that was really strong too and throughout my interviews I think it's important too just for any early careers to think about you're you're getting interviewed during the job interview but you're also interviewing the leaders that you'll be working with and the people in that organization to see if you're going to be a good fit because you want to be happy where you are you know fortunately I made a great decision and I've really been enjoying my fellowship there how does uh you know living in Kansas City different uh differ from Chicago uh is it you know are you finding yourself at home there do you want to live there long term like what does that look like for you yeah uh man you know it's surprised I really like Kansas City it's a great City for young professionals right now I feel like it's growing a lot I mean two backtack Super Bowls is hosting the World Cup here soon so I I think I've really adjusted well to Kansas City especially just coming two hours away from Colombia but compared to Chicago you know it's a lot smaller in that sense but I think that that's helpful right now as I established my career too because the impact that I'm able to make can be seen a little bit further as you think about that just size so I think it's a nice mix between a a large city like Chicago and a college town like Columbia so I definitely found myself at home here uh moved out here in June and it's coming up on the year so I've really been enjoying it excellent I'm happy to hear that You' been doing well so you know like you said you're interested in this Equity work you know and so your experience is growing up in Chicago like you said Southside the food desert that you faced lots of health literacy and Health Equity challenges people you know know that about Chicago because it's such a big city it's publicized a lot you know Chicago and New York's problems are in the news a lot but not so much some of these smaller cities you know I'm from Charlotte and Raleigh and people don't always know about kind of the the issues of segregation that still goes on to this day in Raleigh so what is it like in Kansas city is there a lot of issues that you're combating there that you trying to improve there and if so what are they yeah I man that's a great question I mean as I think through that and what I've been able to see just through my time here getting adjusted and integrated into the organization and different projects that we have going on I I think that Children's Mercy is definitely uh gem in the community and a lot of the work they're doing like uh putting social workers in schools and and partnering with different school districts to put mental healthc care uh professionals there as well to just start to be proactive and a lot of different plans we have like that I think that's something that's really important right now with the youth because it is a you know it's a mental health crisis right now and just being a part of an organization that's working hard to address that on so many different fronts uh we have an Plan called illuminate uh and that that's been interesting to get to see kind of the roll out and development of that and you know seeing the direction that it's going to shift in and then other community work as well just uh working to be a school friendly Health System a national collaborative that we're a part of with us seven other children's hospitals and leading a external needs assessment work group to really understand what our parents teachers and students need from us as a health system in order to support them in their uh growth and development and I mean just being able to be a part of things like that has been great for sure and really getting to understand the makeup of the city the school districts you know the red lining was something that was pretty serious out here uh just as the city was being developed so we're looking more into that and learning I think it's been a great experience getting to learn more about that and and be involved in the work you know that's addressing those things as well just even uh being inclusive in the research that we do at the Children's Mercy Research Institute it sounds like you guys are really integrated with the community there at a at a deep level like you're were saying for a hospital to be doing that that's really impressive yeah yeah I mean I definitely that was something that really caught my attention and made me want to go there and you know I feel like they talk to talk and they walk to talk as well you know of creating a world of wellbe for all children that's so important I I want to ask as well so I've never worked at a children's hospital never really had experience with that at all what has that been like has that been like an adjustment because it's kind of unique it's different than you know kind of a general hospital yeah yeah absolutely so this is uh my first time working at a children's hospital as well and I mean even uh when I came for a site visit in last March it was just like eye opening being inside of the children's hospital and just feeling the energy in there is completely different and just thinking through the patience that you're serving you know they're they're not choosing to be there they didn't do this to themselves so really just helping defend their potential and help them grow into the amazing people that they're meant to be you know so I think that just the energy from the employees in the in the hospital has been great on the day-to- day I feel like people are a lot more connected to their work and really care about what they have going on whe you know whether that's our Frontline staff on the clinical end or our all the way up to our sea Suite I feel like everybody is really invested in the work and it's just a great environment to be in I love the energy uh going in and work every day getting see the kids that there you know we have a childlife team and through the fellowship I did a rotation with that team and got to spend some time with some of the kids and whatnot so I I definitely like the environment and I see myself staying in Pediatrics for sure oh really that's awesome well good for you that's great I I want to ask you know you've done really well your know your resume shows all these great projects you've worked on what are some tips you have for individuals like myself who you know starting off were a little bit more you know I'm a little bit more shy not as outgoing you know because it seems like you're really outgoing and you're you know you're interacting with all these people so how did you get to that point what tips do you have for me yeah man man that's a tough one it's funny I think of myself more as a introvert most of the time I like to think but uh man I think just really being able to Network and and sell yourself and really speak to the experiences that you have and how they really translate into whatever it is that you're trying to do I think for me selling my transferable skills was huge because even going into the application the interviews for the fellowship I didn't have that much hands-on experience you know compared to maybe some other applicants so being able to sell my talk about my soft skills you know emotional intelligence communication skills things like that I I think sometimes we undermine those things about ourselves but they're extremely important I mean even now in my current role they help me on a day-to-day basis as I form relationships with my co-workers leaders in the organization Our Community Partners you know those things are extremely important too so as you think about developing your hard skills you want to make sure that you're developing those skills and you know just keep it being a good person in mind that's definitely a piece of advice just be genuine and be yourself and I think that'll take you really far and I mean that's what's worked for me honestly because if you if you're able to show that to people I think they're more than willing to give you a help in hand and you know help you get in point you in the right direction and whatnot very good advice very very good advice so how long is this Fellowship by the way did you say it was one year or two years yeah so our uh Fellowship here at Children's Mercy is a one year fellowship and and that's what I wanted to do I was looking into one-year fellowships because that that was something new to me that I was glad my graduate program really hit on so well we used to have a Forums on Wednesdays and they would talk about fellowships a lot we had a fellowship panel that I'll actually be sitting on this year which is g to be interesting to be on the other side of that but I think that exposure to what a fellowship was was really important because you don't fully understand a different job opportunities that may be available to you after you finish that master's program so uh I think this has been an excellent opportunity just getting that getting hands-on experience really focusing in on different projects as well as getting to do those rotations through the different departments that we have at the hospital and really get to understand how the hospital operates on a day-to-day basis and from our front lines to time with the SE Suite level Executives as well I think that it's really an all-encompassing experience and it's one of a kind for sure uh and I can understand why fellowships are competitive to get because it is a it's great experience and I feel like just the growth I've been able to see in myself both personally and professionally since starting has has been amazing incredible yeah I definitely am en I haven't done a fellowship I'm I'm still finishing my MBA but I'm envious in a way I like hearing about all these experiences and I'm excited to to be able to do that that rotation as well I've been really heavily considering it I'm still not sure if I'm gonna do it but everyone I've talked to has just said how how incredible it was so I want to ask though it might be too early you know you got three months to go but are there any areas that you're looking at that you're thinking oh I would like to you know maybe work in this area yeah yeah absolutely so I think one area that really sticks out to me and it's a part of uh just this overall strategic plan for Children's Mercy uh it was focusing no more on community so we have the office of community impact and I really think that's somewhere that I would see myself uh prospering in just in the sense of really being Community facing being able to engage with the different stakeholders internally and externally with the organization the community and still being on that operational side as well and getting to utilize the different skills I learned through my mha and NBA uh just being able to put those together and really help push or the organization in the right direction with the Partnerships we form organizations we support and uh what programs we put to use and where we Implement them I think that that's somewhere that's definitely caught my attention I think you're cut out for it based on you know your resume and everything you told me it seems like that'd be a perfect fit for you so I think you do well there man well I will definitely keep you updated on that but I mean man Children's Mercy is amazing and I that was just another big draw for me is the fellow retention we six of our previous fellows that work at the hospital so I mean that was huge even during the interview process uh the the F the previous fellows help interview the in the first round and then in the second round it's a more casual coffee chat you'll have with all of them so I think that was something that really helped draw me in as well just seeing okay people like it here it's something special about this place you know and I it's a very strong program I mean it started in 1994 and it's been going on for 30 years so the leadership is really brought into it and they care about the program and what what what the fellows do you know and the experiences that they get so it's definitely been something extremely valuable for me and then how many fellows are you are you at the same time or fellows just one so I have one co- fellow uh this year so uh periodically we'll take two fellows next year we'll have two fellows as well so uh yeah so it's definitely an interesting experience and getting to have that collaborative spaces has been nice as well up that's great and then who do you who's who are your preceptors is it the SE Suite or is it who who is it that my direct preceptor is uh one of our VPS our VP of support services and yeah so them and then uh our coo is our executive sponsor for the program and then we have another preceptor as well uh Justin bman her assistant is also one of our preceptors and man they've just been extremely supportive and I can't thank them enough on Just how they've pushed me to continue to grow the feedback they've been able to give me just to help me grow as a professional a person and really navig the organization I mean I think having preceptors that have been at the organization for quite some time and understand the politics of it you know the people that contact and get in touch with and you know AR's just spent time I think that that's made the program a more value be where I am today without my mentors and you know the village that help make me into who I am so I think it's very important to be in that space to be able to give back and that's that's something that I love doing even here in the community I got involved with uh Big Brothers Big Sisters I'm a big and I sit on their young one of their young professionals board so just be getting involved in that manner and opening doors for other people as well I'm the first African-American male fellow to go through our program so I feel like that's just another one of those pieces of saying okay like let's let's break into the field I think that's important I uh I know that I've talked to previous fellows and they said it's challenging when you know no other fellows have looked like them or no other fellows have been from the same Community as they have and and I think it's just so important that we make it something that we value everybody and we show that we value Everybody by the decisions we make as an organization so congratulations on blazing that path for everyone that that's incredible man man thank you I definitely appreciate it and like you said yeah just creating that space for everybody to feel valued feel authentically themsel and I think when the organization is able to do that then that they're going to produce the best results well I really appreciate you coming on Dave thank you for sharing all of this with us it's going to really be impactful for our audience uh and I just be more appreciative for you spending your time with me uh this evening man I I appreciate you Cole it was definitely nice getting a chat with you and I appreciate you taking the time to reach out of course of course I hope you have a good rest of your night and I'm sure you'll probably be getting lots of messages from uh mha candidates on this well I and I'll be on the lookout all right</p>