Amy Maysa, MHA ’06

From a young age, I would say that I wanted to help people when I grew up.  While in college, I considered a couple of different majors. I dabbled in Physical Therapy, Radiation Technology, but neither seemed to be the right fit.  I then learned of the health administration program in Quinnipac University’s Business School, and figured a mix of business and healthcare could be just what I was looking for. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I made in my four years at Quinnipiac University.

I began working in the healthcare field right out of college.  I was offered a position as an office manager with a corporate dental company.  The company I worked for had a training program for new managers and between that and my schooling, I felt prepared.  After working in the dental field for about two and a half years, I decided to pursue a job in a hospital.  Working in a hospital was something I had always dreamed of doing.  While to many, a hospital is a scary place, to me it was a place where people worked together to make others better.  The whole dynamic of a hospital was intriguing to me.

In 2002, I was hired to manage a primary care office at a community hospital. I worked here for a little over two years, during which I learned alot about the hospital environment and alot about myself.  In the spring of 2003 I decided to apply to graduate school.  I choose Suffolk because of its reputation, program structure and schedule, and location.  Attending Suffolk was one of the best choices I have made in my adult life.  It was also a good move on my career path.  I found that I could use what I learned in school in my daily work life.  It was a very interesting experience for me.  I had always enjoyed school, but what I was learning at Suffolk was different.  I was able to begin to apply what I was learning to “real life” situations.  

With one year left in studying for my master’s degree, I was offered a job at Massachusetts General Hospital. I was thrilled; I had been applying for jobs there since in college.  I accepted a job as an assistant in the Presidents Office, working with two of the Senior Vice Presidents.  Some people thought I was creating career suicide by going from being a manager to an assistant.  I felt as if this was a wonderful career opportunity.  I was working for a great employer and I was working at a senior level, where I could gain knowledge of the hospital and make connections.

Taking this position was probably the best move I have made in my career.  In my two years here at MGH I have learned a great deal and worked with a phenomenal group of people.  Many times, while in school and since graduating I have been sitting in a meeting and have had a thought pop into my head.  This thought is, “Wow! I know what they are talking about.  People are right; you do learn something in grad school!”  Many times, information from graduate school that I never thought I would use comes back to me when I’m working on a project or speaking with my director.  Much of this information is something I learned in my first semester or never really focused on, but its there, stored deep within my brain.

Several months ago, I was offered another position here at MGH.  I currently work as a Practice Operations Specialist.  My job is to support the outpatient practices in many aspects; from daily operations to training of new staff to project work.  The job is a combination of practice management and project management. Since switching roles, I have had the opportunity to meet more people here at the hospital and have learned a great deal.  I have also been able to apply even more knowledge from school into my daily work.

If I were to offer advice to anyone it would be this, never stop believing in yourself and never stop learning.  If you can work on these two suggestions you can accomplish anything.  And remember this: there is no job too small!