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Joining WHPRMS gave me the opportunities to become involved in the healthcare marketing arena and provided me with a network of some of the most renowned professionals in the field. In those early years it wasn’t very common for hospitals to advertise and most came out of the gate very cautiously – OB ads were the most common because there really wasn’t anything scary about that area (not that we needed to advertise anyway). The networking was extremely helpful and led to many leading edge ad hoc discussions and solutions that ranged from administrative and managerial issues to advertising guidelines, hospital public relations policies and special events planning. Thinking back on those times, the best thing that came out of these networking opportunities were the long-term friendships – even with my most ‘evil’ competitors – that I still cherish and enjoy today. None of us ever considered ourselves the great and powerful Oz and never hesitated to pick up the phone to ask a fellow member or sponsor hospital peer a question or request help on an issue they may have encountered. I believe in the old philosophy that getting requires giving. I felt WHPRMS and its members gave me a lot and, as a result, I became active in the organization. I served on the board, was an officer and helped on several committees including leadership recognition, conference planning, Communications Review and spoke at several conferences and led round table discussion groups on a variety of topics. As I learned more from the organization I realized many ways to grow and develop my professional skills and knowledge. In addition to networking and committee work, I began the leadership recognition process and earned my Fellow status. And again, because I gained so much out of the process, I served on the leadership recognition committee and promoted its benefits among the organization’s members. Today I am an independent contractor and have found the old adage, “you can run but you can’t hide” to be very true! When I started my business I thought it would be fun to apply my skills to something other than healthcare. And, while I have developed marketing plans, directed creative projects and write for a number of non-healthcare clients including small boutique agencies, 95 percent of my work is in healthcare. I’m happy to be back in the field and am privileged to call each of my clients a friend. I realize I am not saving any lives but in my role as a skilled communicator I am privileged to serve those who are. I help them develop strategies that communicate their messages to their publics – consumers, referring physicians, and corporations – and in doing that I am actively participating in the movement to create a healthier society. Perhaps I am old school but I believe we, as healthcare marketing professionals, are the instruments that can help make a difference in our organizations and communities. I am very troubled when I see an organization that does not place a high value on its marketing department and saddened when skilled communicators are not present at senior leadership tables when the discussion is centered on marketing. At the risk of sounding like an “old geezer” I have to say, this was not the case when I was on the hospital marketing side of the desk and I don’t know why it is happening now in a time where communication is so critical and strong marketing vital. The only suggestion I can offer is for people to get involved in their professional organizations (like WHPRMS and SHSMD), ask questions of their peers, read the trade journals, and don’t ever think the education and learning process is finished. On a personal note I enjoy reading, gardening, being with my family (husband of 33 years and daughter Tess, 21 years old), traveling, bicycling, walking the Lake Michigan beach and snow shoeing. I love what I do and am proud to be in the highly respectable field of healthcare marketing.
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