Answer this riddle: What industry sector receives nearly $3 trillion in annual expenditures? Employs more than 16 million people? And represents 20-percent of the American economy? If you answered the healthcare industry, you are right. This noble sector offers professional and personal satisfaction for one local executive.
“Directing the care of patients makes an incredible difference in a person’s life. It also provides a personal reward,” affirms Shyroll Morris, chief satellite operations officer at University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. “My job is to make sure that we block whatever barriers may prevent or delay a patent’s care. There is nothing more rewarding than helping people.”
Sylvester is located in Miami’s downtown medical center complex. It is South Florida’s only university-based cancer center and offers multidisciplinary care, comprehensive research, in-patent/out-patent facilities and full-scale oncology services. Over the past seven years, the center expanded from one satellite site in Deerfield Beach to five in Kendall, Plantation, Hollywood, Sylvester West, and Coral Springs. Morris is charged with guaranteeing that every off-campus site offers the same level of care delivered at the flagship location.
“I am responsible for making sure that the sites are operational and ensure that patients receive the same high level of academic health services,” the University of Florida alumna notes. “We experience double-digit growth every year. So, my job also entails compliance and expansion.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare sector is one of the nation’s most vocationally diverse, highly compensated, and credentialed industries. Government economists project continued growth as access to healthcare expands. The sector offers a variety of positions ranging from entry-level jobs like orderlies; to healthcare practitioners; all the way to the executive ranks. Employees can work in governmental, non-profit, academic and private sector environments. These factors combined with Florida’s high healthcare consumer population present an attractive and possibly lucrative employment option.
“There is more to healthcare than the clinical side of the profession,” Morris states. “There are many facets like billing, compliance, quality, legal, marketing, human resources and everything you can think of.”
Morris’ aunt was treated for pancreatic cancer at Sylvester after a prior treatment failed and has since passed. However, Morris attributes her aunt’s seven-year success–despite a one-year prognosis–to Sylvester’s quality care. For these reasons and more, she said the cancer center is the perfect place for her.
“Most of our patients are referred to us after their initial provider is unable to help them. We have scientists performing cutting edge research that helps us provide customized, precision care, specially designed for the patents. Once we develop the research, we share it with other hospitals,” she boasted. “I’d rather work in the place where we are actually developing cancer treatments. And, I always want to work for the leader in my industry.”
Morris, who earned two master’s degrees, offers these career success tips for South Florida’s multi-billion healthcare landscape.
“Healthcare is a service industry. You must understand the business side. I recommend a master’s degree, either a master’s of public health or business administration. Also, get as many internships as possible. Seek out people and network in the field. Find out their perspectives and respective journeys in the field. The American College of Healthcare Executives and the South Florida National Associaton of Health Services Executives are great resources. Also, you must have empathy.”
Log on to www.Sylvester.org, to find out more information.
This article originally appeared in Legacy Miami Magazine.
