Personal Narrative: A Career As A Behavioral Health Administrator

Through my experience with the healthcare field, I have seen that low socioeconomic status, culture, and access are the major contributors to the health disparities today. Whether it is not being able to afford health insurance/medical costs, a culture that’s attitude and beliefs does not put much value on preventative care, or simply not having appropriate transportation to the doctor, all these factors work together against the patient. Medical professions can best tackle these issues by first knowing and understanding the needs of the population in which they practice. Theoretically, if one is aware of specific needs then those needs can be better addressed, whether they are financial or cultural needs. Also, medical professionals can work

I was never a kid that knew who I would become when I grow up. My interests ranged from wanting to become an interior designer to having a strong desire of becoming a pilot. I was often surrounded by healthcare professionals but I never imagined myself striving to become one. Little did I know that I would end up at a stage in my life where I would be sure about pursuing a career in healthcare. Although I have decided on my career path, I have yet to discover a particular field within healthcare that grabs my interest. The RA Internship will help me learn more about medicine and help me find a right field of study through clinical research experience and monthly lectures offered to me as an intern. Though this opportunity I will be able to

The history of mental health in the United States show a robust movement towards the mental healthcare system we have today. Prior to the 19th century, individuals with mental health issues were widely considered to be demonically possessed, thus contributing to the stigmatization of mental illness and the proliferation of poor treatment conditions. However, in the 1800s, there was a dramatic change in mental healthcare in the U.S. The government took a proactive role in treating the mentally ill, leading to the dawn of state psychiatric facilities.

The career I became interested in is a Physician’s Assistant, or a few people call them PAs. I became interested in this job in my sophomore year of high school. It all started when I attended the STEM fair after school one day. STEM fair is only offered to students who are in either the biomedical Stem academy or the engineer academy. At this fair, students tour around to different classrooms to acquire information on different careers. I attended the Physician’s Assistant one, where there was an actual PA to give information on what PAs achieve. For example, PAs examine patients for diseases, injuries and illnesses.

I began my career in the behavioral healthcare field when I was nineteen years old. Years later, when discussing my initial interview with my supervisor, she remarked the reason why she hired me was due to a statement I made “I’m not looking for a job, I’m seeking to begin a career”. Today, over a decade later that statement still rings true as I seek to further my skills and education with a Doctorate in Behavioral Healthcare focusing in management. Integrative Behavioral Healthcare is a burgeoning field within a changing marketplace. Possessing an increased knowledge of the primary care system, enhanced medical understanding and techniques to integrate behavioral healthcare services at a program level, will provide a great advantage in the

In the Fall of 2014 I became an RA, Resident Assistant, a position longed for since I entered as a student at Landmark College, a college for students with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. I went into the job aspiring to help other students and build upon the close knit and friendly community that was already in place. My job was to ensure the safety and security of all residents, refer students to appropriate services on campus, and run and plan programs alongside two other RA’s and a Resident Dean.

On my search for a full-time job, I came across this ad. This ad led me to a career option, that I had not be aware of. I had never heard of an occupational therapy assistant. The picture demonstrated what they did, and it moved me. In fact, I wish I had known about them when my mom was ill. We were looking for a physical therapist, and they had said that it would not be a good fit for her. She was ill, but she wanted that independence. Perhaps, an occupational therapist would have been able to help her with that.

I am passionate on helping people and making changes in others’ lives. Like I stated before, my mother had been trapped herself in the apologetic emotion for years. The mental burden had made her down. Therefore, I decided to help my mother get rid of the self-accusation, by using the knowledge I learned in the Human Services major. To illustrate, I was telling her that it was not her fault of divorce, and she was not showing me the negative image of a marriage. Instead, I admire her braveness of ending a marriage when it was necessary, especially in the time when people were stereotyping divorced women and at the place where people were being judgmental. Now, her self-blameless has been reduced, and she told me that she was not felt as guilty

My passion for Human Services began while traveling in Asia, Mexico, and through different communities in our country. The most important lesson I learned whether overseas or here in the USA is compassion. Compassion and understanding for what is needed. Compassion for underprivileged people, the elderly, and most importantly the children. The one thing that has stayed constant with me since I started traveling with my family is that people need help.

Even though it may not sound like it, my most memorable experience is working for a home care company. The company I work for is called Residential Physicians Association. I have been working with this company for 2 years as a Medical Assistant. My role is assisting doctors in making home visits. These home visits are more relaxed than hospital visits because the patients are in the comfort of their own home. It is a rewarding feeling to see how grateful patients are to have a service come out to their house. Taking vitals and drawing blood is my most learned skill I have learned with this job. Doing these small procedures gives me hope that I can one day succeed in major medical surgeries. The opportunity of this job has shaped me to find my calling while enjoying every day of it. Memorable experiences are created every day without realizing, while creating memories is important, it is also important that you are

I am Kristen Perkins. I have two children, Savannah, and Dakota. I am a single Mother,I work full time, and I am going to school full time. This is going to be a challenging, yet rewarding time for me. Once I get into a routine, and get my time management down pat I have full confidence in myself that I will do just fine. My program of study is in the Human Services field. In my field of study I intend upon being a substance abuse counselor. Being able to help others has always been a passion of mine. This past December my Husband passed away from overdosing on drugs. It was then that I realized what I was meant to do with my life. I could not save him, but I hope that the skills that I will learn in these next two years will prepare me to

Throughout high school, I continuously explored a wide variety of courses in an attempt to figure out what career path I may want to pursue. As senior year drew closer, the business field became more enticing. Furthermore, my aspirations were significantly impacted on the evening of September 14, 2016. I woke up that day and left for school as if it were any other day. After school, I drove to the softball field because we had a game and it just so happened to be Senior Night: the last home game. When it came time for my first at bat, I stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive between the first and second basemen, successfully making it to first base. The next player up to bat hit a double; I rounded second and sprinted for third. I clearly remember my coach kneeling on the ground to signal me to slide into third base. For some unknown reason, I hesitated and slid too late. I knew it was a bad slide, but I was focusing on whether or not I was safe. Then reality set in, I was safe, but I was not physically capable of standing up.

I became a supervisor in June 2009, previous to this I had worked as a case manager in the group that I would now be supervising. When accepting the position I was confident that even though I had worked as a peer with the staff that I was now supervising this would not be a significant issue as I had worked at an offsite location and did not have day to day contact with the other staff. Unfortunately, I had convinced myself that my work location would make it easier. This was not the case, no matter how closely you work in a group they always have a preconceived idea of how you will act, lead or fail to lead in the future based upon what they know about you. Getting past preconceived ideas can be a very difficult task because these ideas

Do you believe that your role as a therapist will end at the end of the day or will it be present in your personal life also?

I have experience analyzing the healthcare industry in general but have limited experience directly looking into medical claims. However, aside from this, I have extensive hands-on research analytics experience. In particular, I am in charge of all the internal research for the company I currently work at (GBTA Foundation). The typical research I conduct includes but not limits to program analysis, post-event analysis, membership research such as membership satisfaction analysis, new and lapsed member analysis, and longitudinal brand awareness tracking for business travel related industries such as airlines, hotels, ground transportation and payment solutions sectors. In addition to my experience in MySQL, I am highly proficient in SPSS, SAS,