San Francisco Health Administrator Improves Patients' Quality Of Life
Despite having the highest average salary in the industry, there is a severe shortage of registered nurses in San Francisco. For people interested in a career change or thinking of entering a nursing school, there is no time to wait. One career professional who started working in the health care industry early in life is Stephanie Chick - a group facility administrator for DaVita, a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of dialysis services in the country, with three locations in San Francisco.
What is your background and education?
"You can say I grew up in the medical field starting my career as a CNA at age 16 both in nursing home and hospital care. When working at Enloe Hospital I got the opportunity to train as a phlebotomist and started my journey to become an RN. In 1995 I became a LVN and worked on a med/surge floor while continuing my education to become an RN. I finished my degree and received an RN license in 1997. In 2001 I started working for DaVita as a Charge Nurse and shortly after was promoted to facility administrator (FA). I stayed in the role of an FA for three years before being offered an additional promotion. I'm currently employed as a group facility administrator overseeing clinical operations at several centers in the San Francisco area."
What do you love most about your career?
"The most amazing feeling is to get up in the morning and know you will make a difference in someone's life. By dialyzing our patients they are able to spend more quality time with their loved ones. In my role as a group facility administrator, I strive to show up as a positive role model allowing me to mentor others, making an impact on a larger scale. In my book, this equates to more lives touched in what we love to do. One of the greatest feelings is to go home at night and know I made a difference in someone's life by living the DaVita core values."
What career advice can you share with people interested in a career in health care?
"If you are a caretaker by nature and have the compassion to care for others then I would say start exploring the path of health care."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.
