Assignment Four - Termination Checklist

When An Employee Leaves Better Health Abroad

Reaching the Decision

• Was a progressive discipline scheme followed leading up to the decision to terminate?
• Was the employee given 3 verbal warnings according to company protocol?
• Was the employee given at least 1 written warning according to company protocol?
• Did verbal and written warnings clearly state performance/behavior expectations to employee?
• Do written warnings sufficiently document a history of recurring performance/behavior problems?
• Was the employee given sufficient time to correct performance/behavior?
• Is this termination consistent with managerial response to similar behaviors of other employees?
• Have other in-house options for transfer of the employee been explored and ruled out?
• Is this termination in compliance with all state or federal laws regarding appropriate reasons for termination?

Notifying Appropriate Departments

• Has human resources been notified regarding the termination?
• Has technology & communications department been notified regarding expiration of employee’s computer and telephone privileges?
• Has payroll been contacted regarding status of employee’s benefits, vacation, etc.?
• Has finance department been notified regarding deactivation of employee’s accounts?
• Has legal department been notified about decision to terminate employee and reasoning behind this decision?

Termination Meeting

• Does the employee understand the reason for termination?
• Does the employee understand that other options within the organization have been explored, and that the decision is final?
• Does the employee understand the time course for the termination process?
• Has employee’s final paycheck been prepared by payroll services?
• Has severance pay, compensation for vacation and sick time, continuation of health and life insurance benefits, and re-employment assistance been discussed with employee?
• Has the employee been informed of protocol for returning all company property?

Other Considerations

• Have remaining employees been informed of termination and rationale?
• Has management met to discuss the how the termination was handled?
• Has the process of hiring a replacement been initiated if appropriate?

Assignment Three - Job Posting

Foreign Partner Quality Consultant - Better Health Abroad

About Us:

Better Health Abroad is an organization on the forefront of delivering patients to quality healthcare. As the cost of hospital visits continues to rise in developed nations, we are one of the few companies developing an alternative for patients. Several nations around the world including India, Singapore, and Thailand among others are able to offer quality care at a significantly lower cost without a wait. If patients are in need of complex procedures from cardiac surgery and joint replacement to dental and cosmetic surgery, our company can arrange it at a fraction of the cost of obtaining the same care locally. We are looking for employees at all levels who are passionate about making quality healthcare affordable to everyone, and who are ready to be a part of the future of healthcare as we realize our vision.

Job Description:

As a foreign partner quality consultant, you will be at the frontline of our operations, working directly with our partners abroad to ensure quality care to our patients. You will spend approximately half of the year working abroad ensuring that facilities, physicians, and staff are at a level that can offer top tier care. While on site, you will communicate with other quality consultants at our headquarters in Research Triangle Park to assess current conditions, develop plans for improvement, and begin instituting those plans. The other half of your year will be spent working at our headquarters communicating with the quality consultants abroad.

Travel is a large part, and many consider benefit, or working for Better Health Abroad. Even so, the amount of travel is flexible with opportunities for more or less travel depending on the preferences of all quality consultants. Our headquarters offers a professional but relaxed environment where creativity and initiative are rewarded. Along those lines, performance assessments by superiors is regular yearly, and the opportunity to advance and oversee teams of other consultants is an option for those who desire it.

Naturally, health is a major mission of our organization, and this extends to the health of our employees. We offer a very competitive health insurance coverage, but also offer incentives to employees to maintain their own health with rewards for use of the company gym and healthy eating. Beyond that, consultants and their family members are eligible to access the services of the company at a steep discount, paying only the base operating costs.

Job Requirements:

We feel that the best way to assess the quality of healthcare services is to have been intimately involved in the healthcare industry for a number of years, so we require that all candidates be board certified physicians in a relevant field with at least 5 years of practical clinical experience. Business & consulting experience is a plus, but not a must. Beyond that, good interpersonal skills is necessary as well as polished communication and presentation skills. We expect that all consultants enjoy problem solving and are innovative, creative and driven. Most importantly, all of our employees must have the underlying goal of working toward the company’s mission of bringing quality, affordable healthcare within reach of as many people as possible.

Location: Research Triangle Park in North Carolina

Compensation: $150,000 base plus bonus - negotiable based on prior experience.

Contact:

Better Health Abroad HQ
Raleigh, NC 27709

E-mail: HR@BHA.com
Phone: (919) HEALTHY
Fax: (919) 765-4321

Assignment Two - Interview

I completed this portion of the Personal Career Development assignment with a fellow medical school classmate.

Having been interviewed for jobs and medical school admissions a couple of times, being interviewed was not a completely new experience for me. However, interviewing somebody else for a job was. I found this to be surprisingly difficult. As awkward as I have felt being the interviewee in the past, I felt much more awkward being the interviewer this time around. A large part of this feeling had to do with inexperience as I mentioned earlier. As the interviewer, I was entirely responsible for setting the tone and direction of the conversation, at least early on. The interviewee looked to me to dictate whether the dialogue would be formal or casual as well as to decide what information I wanted to obtain from her. Even with notes on which questions I wanted to ask, I still felt very unnatural in my demeanor and with the sequence of questions. I would have hoped to do more than simply rattle off questions from a prepared list. Rather, I would have liked to tailor my questions to the responses given by the interviewee, so that I could explore certain areas closer and gloss over things that turned out to be of little interest. I imagine this to be a skill that interviewers develop over time.

As medical students, we are asked to interview patients almost daily, and even though the objectives are different, we still have the same goal of learning more about the person through the interview. If there were simply a preset list of questions that we asked every patient, there would be no skill in being a physician, and I wouldn’t have to go to school forever. What I learned very quickly at the beginning of medical school, as I seemingly relearned with this assignment, is that there is definitely an art to interviewing. You only gain this appreciation when you watch an experienced person, whether it be an attending physician or a seasoned job recruiter, do the interviewing and then attempt to replicate the feat yourself. I quickly learned that experience and practice are the best teachers no matter how much you have prepared beforehand.

With respect to being interviewed, the only awkwardness arose from the fact that this was a role-playing assignment. Having rarely practiced interviews before, I found it difficult to get into the mindset of subtly trying to sell myself, or at least not sabotage myself, since this was not a “real” interview situation. Even so, I learned that much as I approach real life interview situations, I was very passive as the interviewee. I am not sure if this is for better or worse. I indicated earlier the pressure I felt to lead the conversation as the interviewer, and this pressure was much less apparent as the interviewee. I think that I take a passive role by default when I am the interviewee, but having been on both sides of the interview with this assignment, I realize that this may not be the best approach in all situations. Clearly, there are some interviewers that I will encounter who are much like myself and would appreciate some cooperation in facilitating the conversation. This would make the interview a much more tolerable if not enjoyable experience for both sides. I suppose that knowing when to be more active and when to let the interviewer lead will come from experience, much like everything else I learned from this assignment.

Future Job Posting

I don't think i'll be quite qualified for this after graduation, but hopefully i can find a position below this and work my way up.

Managing Director Healthcare Industry

Company or Recruiter Consulting Resource Group, Inc.
Industry Health Care
Function Health Care Consulting
Location New York, NY
Position Level Executive
Position Type Full Time
Salary $150K+
Benefits/CompensationPackage Bonus

Our client is a forward thinking and upwardly mobile boutique professional services firm. We are searching for a Director level professional that can take the helm of their Healthcare Practice. If you can develop relationships and generate opportunities while leading projects and staff, then you’ve found your dream job.

Responsibilities:

Lead the delivery of Health Care solutions in the areas of Operations Improvements in Health Care Providers. The Solutions focus on Cost Reduction, Revenue Growth and Operational Improvement.

Oversee the process of business solutions such as operations improvement, clinical resource management and process redesign for healthcare organizations.

Provide solutions in the areas of operational improvements, revenue growth and cost reduction for Healthcare industry clients.Lead business development efforts; ability to support customer needs.

Develop relationships and generate opportunities for consulting work with current and prospective clients.Manage and grow people, projects and profits.


Requirements:

Solid external management consulting experience Big 5 or similar background.

8-10 years experience in Healthcare consulting.

Prior management of consulting services in one or more of the following areas:

Managed care contact analysis
Department staffing studies and cost analysis
Supply chain managementBusiness process
Healthcare reimbursements
Administrative cost reduction
Clinical labor optimization
Operational or financial restructurings
Cost reduction strategies
Department cost analyses
Department staffing studies
Equipment and software vendor evaluation, selection, negotiations and contacting

Significant client facing skills with ability to develop long term relationships.

High degree of integrity.

Significant communication and presentation skills with C-level audiences.

Demonstrated business development, proposal, and presentation skills.

Demonstrated leadership and sales skills.Innovative, creative and driven.

Education:BS/MS Nursing a must

MS in Health Admin or MBA

Professional accreditation highly regarded


Location: New York, NY; ability to live most anywhere and travel to client site

Compensation: $175,000 – $200,000 base plus bonusTravel: Up to 100%.