Casey Norton (Health Services Administration and Policy, ’19) efficiently sums up the benefits of an MPA degree from IU South Bend: “It puts you on another level.”
Norton, who is a Physician Liaison with Beacon Health System needs to operate on that higher level daily. She describes herself as a department of one, overseeing the onboarding process for new specialist physicians across Beacon’s offices in the Michiana region and acting as a point of contact for all physician offices across five counties.
The MPA degree, Norton says, opens doors for health care professionals like her to step into positions of leadership.
“We need leaders in health care. There are so many opportunities once you are MPA-trained,” Norton says. “I see the people in our organization that have the MPA, and they’re all in phenomenal positions.”
In her experience, the MPA degree and training have come to communicate an understanding that she is management-focused, analytical, and focused on leadership.
“I make sure those MPA initials are on my business card, and when I’m walking into physicians’ offices…they’re able to see that I have that training—I think you’re treated differently. The program equips you to become a leader in health care.”
We need leaders in health care. There are so many opportunities once you are MPA-trained. I see the people in our organization that have the MPA, and they’re all in phenomenal positions.
Norton’s accomplishments in the health care sector certainly speak to her leadership skills. When she started at Beacon over 11 years ago her work was focused on one hospital. Today, her management role means she is working with doctors and staff across 8 hospitals. While Norton handles several aspects of managing the onboarding process for new physicians at Beacon, she also truly enjoys helping them get comfortable in their new community, introducing them to the assets of the region.
Despite her career responsibilities and being a single parent, Norton sought out the on-campus experience of IU South Bend’s MPA Program. The smaller classes and networking opportunities were attractive to Norton as she considered in-person versus online programs.
“I chose the MPA program because of the classroom setting,” Norton says. “I wanted to connect with, network, and learn from people. I loved that setting of the small classrooms, getting to know people from other health institutions, nonprofit organizations—I have friends now in networks across many organizations.”
The skillset Norton developed as part of her MPA degree has also set her up for continued success in her professional life, where she applies a managerial mindset to approach multiple tasks.
“The MPA Program changed me as a person. I have a different mind than when I started out,” Norton says. “I had the mind of a nurse, and I was trained in health care and bedside nursing, and I really work for senior leadership now. And the program changed the way that I think—I understand research, I understand management, and my conversations are different. I can speak on a level I never would have previous to the MPA Program—life-changing, definitely.”
The international health care class was among Norton’s favorites when she was a student in the program. She was part of a group that traveled to Sweden to study different approaches to health care, something that helped her in thinking analytically about the health care system in the United States as well.
On that trip, and in her other health care classes, one big takeaway was the relationships she built with other MPA students. On the Sweden trip a few of the students were also part of the MPA program’s ongoing relationship with Family Health residents at Beacon’s Memorial Hospital. These are individuals Norton still works closely with today.
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