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COM/UMA
Program demonstrates support
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by Garrett Mann
UMA Business Initiatives & Operations Support
I am a dedicated career student and one of the newest additions to University Medical Associates (UMA).
 Garrett Mann
I graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in biology and had
absolutely no idea what to do with it. I was prepared, educationally,
for one of two things; teach high school science or go back to school.
Clearly, I choose the later. At the suggestion of a Naval recruiter, I
enrolled in MUSC’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program.
The day of orientation, I remember wondering, “What kind of place is
MUSC?” I hoped it would be an environment in which I could
professionally develop. Now that I am at MUSC, I can confidently say
professionalism is only the tip of the spear at this university.
MUSC is dedicated to a set of core values. We encompass our people and
patients in these values. Employees take pride in the fact that MUSC is
often spoken in conjunction with superlatives like passion, invention
and excellence. We strive to maximize the quality of care and attention
to detail that we provide day in and day out, and we continue to build
on our successes. Those outside of MUSC refer to this core set of
values as MUSC’s standard of care. However, for anyone wearing an I.D.
badge at lapel height between Courtenay Drive and Rutledge Avenue,
MUSC’s standard of care is synonymous with MUSC Excellence. The new
director of College of Medicine/UMA Excellence, Andrea Swartz, is
transforming our culture of caring and achievement to include “five
star” hospitality. One of the key initiatives in this effort is the
Meet and Greet.
I was very excited to be a part of the Meet and Greet program and felt
this initiative would come very natural to faculty and staff. MUSC did
not disappoint me in my assumption. As I walked the halls, I saw
organizational leaders manning the doors at every entrance, ready to
offer a “good morning” and provide assistance to patients and
employees. My station was at the Jonathan Lucas entrance inthe Clinical
Sciences Building. I found welcoming friends and colleagues arriving
for work very rewarding. The faculty, students and staff seemed to
really appreciate seeing the administrative team.
Acknowledging some of the best professionals is indeed refreshing; however, working with the patients is what made my day.
As an MHA student, I worked in the Division of Rheumatology &
Immunology last summer. During this time, I got a chance to interact
with patients and quickly learned through these interactions that “a
patient does not care what you know unless they know that you care.”
Above all else, the Meet and Greet allowed MUSC patients to see the
caring and support of not only those involved in direct patient care,
but also those involved in the day-to-day operation of the hospital.
As I matriculate through my residency with UMA, I am learning more than
I ever knew existed about patient and employee satisfaction. However,
the lesson that comes natural many of us remains the most important.
Treat those as you would want to be treated with respect, dignity and
compassion. Of course, these are the values encompassed in our culture,
MUSC Excellence.
Friday, Aug. 21, 2009
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