Early Careerist Corner: Professional Associations & Certifications

NCHL presents Early Careerist's Corner, a podcast series that is part of the A Guide for the Healthcare Early Careerist. It is dedicated to providing information and advice to early careerists as they begin navigate the exciting field of healthcare leadership. This episode focuses on providing insight on the certification available through the American College of Healthcare Executives. What is FACHE? | What are the requirements? Do I need it for my career path? are all questions being answered as we sit down with Julie Weissman.

Learn more about our guest:

What makes you stand out from your peers? I like to bring new ideas and a lot of energy to all of my meetings with colleagues in the office. I also ask probing questions to understand the logic and reasoning behind decisions being made. When I am outside of the office, networking with industry peers, I show an interest in what they are doing.

Who needs to know you so you can reach your goals? This is a challenging question that has me thinking! My career AND professional goals have evolved over time, however my core network has remained the same. Each of us have done new things, taken on new roles in new organizations, etc. Over the years, I’ve continued to expand my network of leaders that I have gotten exposure to and also sought out. I’ve been described as a “networking junkie”. I want to know a lot of people, it keeps me energized. If you do have a particular end-goal in mind, then identify someone who has already achieved it so they can guide you. 

What are your values? Be transparent, genuine, and kind. Strive for what is most important to you. Understand your personal limits to set goals and boundaries. 

What's your ultimate career goal? I honestly do not know the answer to this question. The likely reason is because I either haven’t found it yet, or it hasn’t found me. Since I am not looking, I assume when the ultimate career goal appears, I will grab it. Who makes up your support system? Easy question- My family! My long-time friends! I have an amazing husband who is my biggest cheerleader. He is a great listener. I look to him for advice on many topics, mainly regarding communication, and how to approach difficult situations. It’s important to get an outsiders perspective. I’ve also learned how things are handled in industries other than healthcare.

My 10 year old daughter is a piece to the puzzle as well. She understands if I have a conflict with my work schedule. She is OK with pivoting at the last minute since things can unexpectedly change. She also loves to hear about my international work travel and see my colleagues on calls. She loves to hear different accents and asks lots of questions. 

What brings you joy? Disconnecting = Joy!!  It’s tough, but I am able to accomplish it. When I go on vacation, I never take my laptop. I hide the Outlook app and turn off all notifications on my phone. I set my Out of Office to specifically say that I will respond after the date I am back. I won’t take an hour away from fully being present, relaxing and enjoying time with my family and friends. Traveling and taking a break from work makes me more productive and energized when I return. When I disconnect at home, I am often in the kitchen cooking or baking while listening to music. I love the smell of anything coming out of the oven (if I haven’t accidently burnt it)! What's your superpower - the thing you do better than anyone else? Planning kid’s birthday parties. I put a lot of thought into all of the details.

What's your favorite way to communicate? My preference is talking in person or over the phone. I get overwhelmed by too many emails, long texts and group text chains that blow up my phone. It’s much easier and better for t