AnneMarie Turner
I was born in Rochester and live in a small community in the Finger Lakes region. I enjoy working in Rochester; it's a good place to be. The city, surrounding towns, and communities are very diverse. There are a wide variety of cultural and recreational activities, and all sorts of professional opportunities.
Before coming to the University of Rochester School of Nursing, I was employed as the Business Continuity Manager for Paychex, Inc. Then in 2004, the University of Rochester Medical Center chose me to be the Information Systems Risk Manager in the Information Systems Division. In time, I began to think about the various degrees the University offered. I wanted a program that would offer me both personal and professional development, and that could refine and develop the skills I would need to advance my career.
The program that caught my interest most was the Leadership in Health Care Systems Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness Master’s program. It definitely works well with my existing skills and knowledge. I have over eleven years of experience with information systems disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
The Master’s program helps me to make the transition from technological aspects of data recovery, to shaping and implementing plans and processes that will actively improve health care systems designed to serve the people in our communities. There's a very wide variety of options in training and education here at the University, and a very large number of directions a student can choose to go. However, what made me choose the University of Rochester School of Nursing specifically was the Leadership in Health Care Systems program.
The Leadership in Health Care Systems program offers an incredible curriculum. It fits where I am in life right now. I also like it because of what I'll be able to do with my life after obtaining my health care leadership degree. Yes, it boosts your knowledge and your level of skill. But it also opens the door to new and better career opportunities, and to further education and other degrees.
Professionally, the depth and quality of the health care expertise taught here help you tremendously. The leadership engagement programs, such as volunteering at community health care agencies, leadership mentoring, and field placements, undoubtedly give you valuable direct experience and extend your abilities.
One thing they teach you in the School of Nursing's Leadership Program is that you don't have to wait till graduation to start taking the lead. Since starting the program, I became one of the co-founders of the Business Continuity Planning Workgroup for Healthcare Organizations (BCPWHO). Through BCPWHO, dedicated health care professionals from around the world are able to share, explore, improve, and develop disaster recovery, crisis management, and business continuity strategies and methodologies. BCPWHO will help to promote the advancement of business continuity throughout the health care industry.
I believe people should aspire to succeed. To improve things for themselves and for others. To give back a part of the things they've received. I've always had that sense of aspiration, that drive to succeed. What has really impressed me about the School of Nursing is that here the sense of aspiration is held in common. We share it and foster it. We support each other. It's a unified desire -- a goal for program leaders, instructors, and colleagues. A goal we all work to achieve together. There’s an atmosphere here that together we can help each other become better.
The instructors at the School of Nursing are very impressive. They do more than teach leadership. They embody it. They bring their knowledge and experience into the classroom. They're powerful professional role models. They provide you with all the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. And they do it with empathy and understanding – the same empathy and understanding you develop too by learning from their example.
Maybe the most important thing I’ve learned from the School of Nursing instructors has been exactly that -- how central a part empathy plays. How important it is to develop compassion and respect for others. The more I grow personally and professionally, the more I've come to see that empathy and respect towards others are essential components in becoming a good leader.
I would definitely recommend the University of Rochester School of Nursing to others. I think it creates an atmosphere where we can learn as part of a supportive community. An atmosphere that gives you many opportunities to explore new career options as well as new directions in health care. We've all been given a lot. We all know we should give something back. Doing that well takes knowledge and leadership. I've learned a great deal about both here at the School, and it's already helped me to better help others, and to plan my health care career direction.
Anne Marie Turner is a Certified Business Continuity Planner (CBCP), through the Disaster Recovery International Institute (DRII), and is the Information Systems Risk Manager for the University of Rochester Medical Center and Strong Health. Anne Marie received her Bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher College and is enrolled at the University of Rochester in the School of Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Systems Disaster Response & Emergency Preparedness Master’s program, from which she plans to graduate in Spring, 2008. Anne Marie is a past member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Contingency Planning and Management magazine, a member of DRII, a Board Member of the Upstate New York Business Continuity Planners (UNYBCP), a founding Board Member of BCPWHO (Business Continuity Planning Workshop for Healthcare Professionals), and is a hospice care and Red Cross volunteer.
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