Denisse Flores

I definitely attribute my success to getting out there and meeting people at hiring events. The two hospitals that I worked for have been basically the biggest of the area that I've lived, so getting into the community and getting to know different people from different health systems has been key. I also attend hiring events regularly, do a lot of research, and read a lot to keep up with any updates within my industry. Honestly, I think that just by going above and beyond for the patients, my peers, and my bosses, within my scope obviously, I was able to get noticed and just go up the ladder pretty quickly. My team members are like, you're so young to be my boss, how did you make it here so quickly? And I tell them it's because I always go the extra mile in healthcare.

The best career advice I ever received was from the first doctor I worked with at a private practice. I had just gone out of school for health services administration, and you're thinking you're gonna be at the top of the career ladder already. He basically just said, you know, one step at a time, Rome wasn't built in a day. It does take time and experience to get up there and eventually reach your career goal. That advice really stuck with me.

I would say kind of the same thing that I was told at the beginning - it takes time, but it will happen, as long as you always go the extra mile in healthcare. I think that's the only way, and that's the reason why I am where I am. I have my team members who are in their upper or middle 20s, and I'm in my upper 20s, and they're like, you're so young to be my boss, how did you make it here so quickly? And honestly, I think that just by going above and beyond for the patients, my peers, and my bosses, within my scope obviously, I was able to get noticed and just go up the ladder pretty quickly.

I think the biggest barriers are insurances. Sometimes you want to go above and beyond for the patients, but insurances dictate a lot of what happens in healthcare. There's a lot of things going on with the U.S. health system, and my mission has always been to advocate for the patient and just to create a great patient experience despite these challenges.

I think the most important overall is respect. It goes without explanation. As a leader, it is very important to me to respect my employees - respect that they have a life outside of work, that there's sometimes days that they're gonna have a life event that they need to leave work, respect their boundaries. Without expecting it from everyone else, I will always respect each and every one of my employees or individuals, without a question. I also think a good work ethic is important. Overall values and morals are very important to me, and I think that whether it's at work or in my personal life, I always bring that to the table. I think it works out perfect for me, because wherever I've gone, I've always had great relationships with the clinical staff or my team.