Melinda Mastel, financial advisor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, recently appeared on the MGMA Member Spotlight Podcast to discuss her career journey, the challenges facing early careerists in healthcare, and the importance of mentorship. As a featured presenter at MGMA’s upcoming Leaders Conference, she will co-lead a resource group meet up session offering practical advice and insights to emerging healthcare professionals.
A Unique Journey into Healthcare Leadership
Mastel’s path to healthcare leadership was anything but linear. Like many early careerists, Mastel explored a variety of interests before finding her niche in healthcare finance. She attributes her success to being a lifelong learner and her curiosity about healthcare’s human element. “I’ve always really been drawn to healthcare. I think it’s such a human field. There’s a people component to it that you just don’t get in any other industry,” she reflects. With degrees in healthcare administration, international business, and multiple certifications, Mastel has broadened her skill set to tackle the healthcare industry’s evolving challenges. Whether through formal education, volunteering, or internships, she encourages early careerists to explore different areas of healthcare to find their passion.
The Importance of Peer Mentorship
A key theme in Mastel’s journey is the power of peer mentorship. She encourages early careerists not to underestimate the value they can bring to mentorship relationships. “Sometimes we look at ourselves as early careerists and think we don’t have anything to contribute, and that’s so wrong,” she explains. “Any mentorship relationship I’ve been in...we end up learning from each other.” Peer mentorships can be particularly powerful tools for growth, whether through formal programs or informal coffee chats. Mastel highlights the importance of building connections with peers and offering support to those just entering the field.
Navigating the Challenges of a Changing Work Environment
Modern healthcare presents unique challenges for early careerists, particularly with the rise of hybrid and remote work. Mastel addresses these challenges by acknowledging the difficulties early careerists face in building relationships in these new environments. She raises essential questions such as, “How do I build relationships? How do I network when we have employees scattered all over?...How can we be intentional about building relationships and showing that commitment to work in that environment?”
As healthcare continues integrating more technology, Mastel believes early careerists must be intentional about networking and developing new skills, especially in areas like data analytics and AI that are becoming increasingly relevant within healthcare operations. “Early careerists are needing to embrace or at least have this foundational understanding of that,” she says.
Balancing Career Ambition and Personal Well-Being
Burnout is a real challenge for early careerists eager to prove themselves. Mastel candidly discusses how her experience with burnout a few years into her career led to stress and exhaustion. “I was definitely overextending myself a little bit and volunteering for a lot of things,” she recalls. “Looking back, that built a lot of skills … but there’s also this fine line there between looking out for your well-being.” She encourages early careerists to focus on hobbies and personal well-being to maintain balance in their lives. Highlighting examples from her own approach she says, “For me, just prioritizing on investing in my interests and my own health has been really great, and I'm in a good place now where I think I'm kind of managing to juggle everything.”
Join Melinda Mastel at the MGMA Leaders Conference
For early careerists looking to develop their leadership skills and gain valuable insights, Mastel will co-present a resource group meet up session session titled Early Careerist Leaders in Healthcare at this year's MGMA Leaders Conference. Alongside other healthcare administrators, she will offer practical advice, discuss career pathways and share lessons learned. Learn more about her session here.
Resources
- MGMA Leaders Conference - Register Here
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- ThedaCare
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