Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1497584
30 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP What will health systems prioritize once Gen Z is running them? By Alexis Kayser G eneration Z is inheriting a troubled healthcare system: staffing shortages, caregiver burnout, pandemic aershocks, financial woes. But these industry challenges are not scaring young people away from healthcare — they're motivating them to run toward it. Becker's asked 12 master's students enrolled in leading healthcare administration programs why they chose to enter the field and what they will prioritize once they stand at hospitals' helms. eir answers revealed that healthcare is deeply personal to the rising generation, a sentiment that hasn't necessarily changed over the years, but has gained steam. Medicine has always been a connection- based field, driven by leaders who wish to make a difference. However, COVID-19 illustrated the necessity of strong health systems on an unprecedented level — inspiring young people to take action and right the wrongs they lived through in 2020. One of those wrongs is healthcare disparity. Many students wish to improve racial equity and cultural competence within the healthcare system, having witnessed injustice themselves. Aspiring chief equity officers would have been rare finds 20 years ago. at's not the case in 20-somethings nowadays. Healthcare administration students referred to themselves as "change agents," expressing a desire to transform and innovate within the industry. ey want to push boundaries, from technological advancements, to improved care delivery models, to greater levels of cultural competence. Here's what else the rising generation told Becker's about where they aim to take the industry — and why. 1. Kayla Quinn, 23. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Aspiring senior strategist: I chose to pursue a career in healthcare administration due to the abundant cracks within the behavioral health sector that I witnessed as a caretaker and provider. I am continuously inspired by patients and their support system's ability to navigate the fragmented healthcare landscape. My classmates also inspire me daily by their capacity for change while also being grounded in critical analysis and feasibility. Primary care doctors who understand the intersectionality of diagnoses and treat their patients as individuals inspire me to look at creating change even at a granular level. ese inspirations drive my primary goal in healthcare: to leverage emerging technologies to create a personalized patient experience that extends the continuity of care beyond hospital walls. 2. David Fuller Jr., 24. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Aspiring CEO: I chose healthcare administration for my career because I want to improve the health status of historically underserved and marginalized communities in my hometown of metro Detroit. As the healthcare industry evolves and transforms the future of healthcare delivery, my generation will be the next servant leaders, change agents and disruptors of the status quo in the healthcare system. At a time when health equity is a focus for many healthcare organizations, much collaboration is needed across sectors to address health disparities and health inequities. I am committed to advancing this work to provide innovative, equitable, high- quality, patient-centered care for vulnerable populations. 3. Kate Libit, 20. Johns Hopkins Carey Business School (Baltimore). Aspiring nonprofit hospital CEO: e words "healthcare equity" and "healthcare equality" are coming to the forefront more and more, but I believe that there is still work to be done within the healthcare industry. I was born in the Philippines, and last month (16 years aer coming to America), I became a U.S. citizen. I believe that being an immigrant living in Baltimore is my inspiration behind my drive to ensure that the people in the most disenfranchised part of the city have the same access to healthcare as someone who lives in Locust Point. I aspire to be a leader, a CEO of a nonprofit that is devoted to healthcare equity by increasing access to quality healthcare and reducing the impact of the social determinants of health. 4. Brian Britt, 25. Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond). Aspiring vice president of network integration: I am driven by my want to reduce healthcare disparities and advocacy to address needs that go beyond biomedical issues to manage all biopsychosocial factors to save and improve lives. e challenge to become a change agent impacting the health of society and the well-being of clinicians is why I chose healthcare administration. e pursuit of this goal amid the ever-changing political and financial environment makes the task all the more compelling. 5. Teffin Benedict, 24. Columbia University (New York City). Aspiring COO: My interest in healthcare administration developed during a comparative health systems study abroad program in London. Living in a country where everyone agreed that healthcare is a fundamental right opened my eyes to administration as a path to making an impact in healthcare. Within a year, we entered the pandemic and witnessed the consequences of limited investment in public health globally. e backdrop for the Gen Z coming-of-age story is full of widening disparities and inequality paired with incremental social Image Credit: Adobe Stock