Elle’s Experience
Filled with over 70 educational sessions and networking events, SHSMD Connections is an annual conference held to help attendees expand their knowledge about the future of health care. Each year the Michigan Society for Healthcare Planning & Marketing (MSHPM) generously raffles off one registration to the event and this year I was the lucky winner! I left the conference feeling refreshed and excited about the future of health care. I am happily bringing what I learned at SHSMD Connections back to my organization, my role and my life.
For My organization: Obstacles WE FACE
A theme that resurfaced throughout the conference was the challenging landscape of health care. We, as health care marketers, are tested with unique problems that many other industries do not face. It is refreshing to hear how even the best-in-class health systems struggle with the same issues as our own organizations. SHSMD Connections cultivated an environment of engagement and creativity for marketers and strategist across the country to collaborate and find solutions together.
For My CAREER: Not ALL ABOUT NUMBERS
Before I left for Nashville, I prepared for the conference by selecting all of the sessions that I would attend. As an analyst, I eagerly flagged sessions on the importance of analytics, data visualization and marketing metrics. However, during the welcoming event I received one piece of advice that influenced how I would experience SHSMD: “Step outside your comfort zone.” In addition to sessions on analytics, I attended sessions on consumer voice and innovation. These sessions provided a refreshing reminder to look beyond the data to grow and learn in the industry. Patient testimonies can be as effective as key metrics to move leadership to make a change. Innovation happens when you least expect it and is inspired by more than just looking at data. SHSMD Connections refreshed my memory on how important creativity is in understanding consumers and can be transformative when paired with the right data.
FOR MY LIFE: Passion + Purpose = Power
The closing keynote by Carla Moore, author and VP of HBO, was truly inspiring on a personal level. Carla emphasized the importance of finding your “power” by telling her own personal journey to happiness. At one point, Carla stated “you can never be happy with what you get if you’re not happy with what you have.” Her view? Passion + Purpose = Power. Carla offered questions to her audience to help lead the way in finding “your power”:
- Passion: What makes you happy? What is something that, when immersed in it, you lose track of time? What is something you do now that would make 8 year old you sad?
- Purpose: Who was the last person you helped and what did you do? What was the last news story you read that really tugged at your heart?
I had the chance to talk one-on-one with Carla after her speech, which was the perfect conclusion to SHSMD Connections. I left inspired to bring passion and purpose back to my role in health care. Thank you to MSHPM for giving me this opportunity!
