On Becoming a (Positively) Disruptive Woman, and Passing It on to Others
When I was 22 years old, I received my A.B. honors from the University of Chicago. I had been taught that the world was entirely open to me. I wanted to pursue a career in public health and healthcare, and began an intensive job search. My heart was set on an Administrative Internship at Hennepin County Medical Center – an organization that fit well with my passion for health equity.
I was told by my interviewer that I couldn’t apply for the position because I was female. He added that the field of health leadership was limited to men, nuns and nurses, and I wasn’t any of them, so I should rethink my career options. I was stunned. He told me matter-of-factly what was available to me – a clerical slot – the only position open to a woman who wasn’t clinically trained. I needed the job, accepted the position, and vowed to prove him wrong. I then promptly set about “disrupting” the fixed ideas about what was possible for health care, for me, and especially for women like me.
Disrupt Yourself - First, I disrupted myself – I decided to return to the University of Chicago Business School, a place that had always eschewed bias of any kind. I was one of the 20 percent of the class that was female, and the one of the few who were married. After graduation, I took a challenging job in management consulting, traveling 5 days a week with clients of all kinds, and starting a health strategy practice at what is now Price Waterhouse Coopers.
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Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
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