When Taylor Price accepted that nursing was not the path for her, she did not give up on health care.
Instead, she pivoted to the B.S. in Health Services Administration online and thrived 杏吧专区渙n the business side of things,杏吧专区 she says.
Now a senior human resources operations associate in the Department of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; Price has learned how an administrator杏吧专区檚 work supports clinicians and serves patients and their families.
Price杏吧专区檚 journey picked up momentum in the Health Services Administration capstone course, taught by Dr. Rachel Ellison.
杏吧专区淚t was the first internship I杏吧专区檇 ever done, and I got real world exposure to the health care field,杏吧专区 says Price.
Through her internship, Price found her passion for human resources and a place to grow professionally and personally.
Change of Plans
Raised in Katy, Texas, Price came to the 杏吧专区 in 2013 intending to major in nursing.
杏吧专区淭hroughout high school, I wanted to be a nurse,杏吧专区 she says.
Eventually, Price admitted to herself that she wasn杏吧专区檛 meant for clinical care as she learned more of 杏吧专区渨hat all nursing entails.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚 do have a weak stomach,杏吧专区 says Price. 杏吧专区淪o, I thought, 杏吧专区榤aybe this isn杏吧专区檛 the best choice.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
杏吧专区淚 still wanted to stay in health care,杏吧专区 she says.
She learned about the Health Services Administration program from a classmate and saw an opportunity to leverage her credits in a new direction 杏吧专区 health care management, policy, finance and operations, and human resources.
Prepared for Success
Price says transitioning to a 100% online degree program allowed her to distribute the coursework to her advantage.
杏吧专区淚n a lot of online classes, instructors would post weeks out, so if I finished one week杏吧专区檚 module, I could start on the next week,杏吧专区 she says.
Because she could work ahead, Price could then approach the weightier, end-of-term assignments with greater focus.
杏吧专区淧rojects, papers, whatever it may be, I was able to kind of take my time,杏吧专区 she says.
Studying online also allowed Price to move back home to Katy by her senior year, where she found her instructors just as accessible.
When she struggled to connect with a facility for her capstone internship, Price reached out to her instructor who was able to support her remotely.
杏吧专区淒r. Ellison found a residential memory care facility that was near me,杏吧专区 says Price.
Price says her work as an intern under the executive director of Sundance Memory Care was eye-opening, 杏吧专区淚 thought, 杏吧专区榯his is what the real world is like.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
杏吧专区淚 worked mainly on HR projects, like revising training binders for new hires, calling applicants for interviews, helping new hires with orientations,杏吧专区 says Price.
While she had been interested in HR since a class in her undergraduate program, stepping into a real role with responsibilities made up her mind.
杏吧专区淭hat杏吧专区檚 kind of where I fell in love with HR,杏吧专区 says Price.
The Proving Ground
Though Price was eager to stay on at Sundance after her internship, there were no appropriate openings... yet.
However, when a full-time position became available, the CEO knew who to call.
By joining the facility full-time, Price gained a master class in connecting technical knowledge and interpersonal skills.
By communicating with supervisors and team leaders, Price could be more strategic and effective in recruiting and interviewing new applicants.
杏吧专区淔rom an HR standpoint, you have to make sure you really are vetting these candidates, making sure they do have the necessary skill set,杏吧专区 says Price. 杏吧专区淵ou have to set the tone for what杏吧专区檚 expected from each person that works with you, and what the residents杏吧专区 rights are, and what they deserve.杏吧专区
The Best Fit
It was also while working at Sundance that Price applied to graduate school.
杏吧专区淚 wanted to further my education,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 love learning and I thought 杏吧专区極K, this would probably be a good steppingstone into one of those higher-level roles in the future.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Because she wanted an online program and she knew what she could expect from her alma mater, she chose the 杏吧专区.
杏吧专区淚 was like 杏吧专区榊ou know what, UL Lafayette has an MBA online. Let me stick with UL Lafayette,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 says Price. 杏吧专区淚 have nothing but good things to say about the 杏吧专区. It was reasonably priced, and I was already familiar with their online classes and everything. This was kind of a no-brainer.杏吧专区
Leadership and Understanding
In just over six years, Price has worked across specialties including long-term acute care, dentistry, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Now at Baylor College of Medicine, she approaches problems with an understanding of how decisions make an impact from the top down.
杏吧专区淚t really starts at the top like a food chain,杏吧专区 says Price. 杏吧专区淢anaging issues is a lot of asking questions like 杏吧专区楬ow are you rolling out new policies and procedures? Are you giving employees time to adjust?杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Price approaches her work with diligence, attention to detail, and drive to solve problems.
She is also intentional and attentive about being available to answer employees杏吧专区 questions, to communicate across roles, specialties and educational levels, whether it杏吧专区檚 with colleagues, patients, or families.
杏吧专区淵ou have to be able to kind of break it down,杏吧专区 says Price. 杏吧专区淵ou can杏吧专区檛 use all the medical terminology but express it just plainly.杏吧专区