Fellow Update: Katie Fredricks (EMHA '18)

By: Katie Fredricks (EMHA '18)

Overview of Projects and Experiences: 

Some of the projects I’ve worked on lately include an Emergency Department Lactate Pilot to identify septic patients as soon as possible in the waiting room. We performed a 2-week pilot and quantified that 100% of patients during the pilot survived sepsis and were eventually discharged home. My favorite part of this project has been working with nursing and physician leadership to ensure positive outcomes for our patients. As my team presented the results of the pilot to our Quality Leadership Committee, I thought to myself “This is the reason I went into healthcare! Finally!” After many years of working and studying, I feel like I’m finally a part of the team that helps save lives. By far, this has been the most rewarding project. It makes the challenging days worth it.

Katie Fredricks (EMHA '18) - Administrative Fellow at Kaiser Permanente

I’ve also been working closely with our Inpatient Quality Management Team on a couple different initiatives to reduce readmissions, particularly among our high-risk population. Throughout my time here I have formed strong relationships with our physicians. It has been critical to work with a physician partner with all of my projects, especially in an organization that follows the physician/administrator dyad model closely. I recommend that all fellows form close relationships with their physician counterparts. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but sometimes leading from behind and allowing your clinician partners to present projects to their teams is the best way to lead. Always listen first before speaking and approach every project with an inquisitive attitude.

Future Plans and Goals:

The Kaiser Permanente Fellowship has allowed me to learn about areas of hospital operations that I never knew existed. Perhaps more importantly, it has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. I hope to take a leadership role after the fellowship and I’m currently exploring areas where I’m most passionate. My goal is to work with physicians daily and be part of a team that saves lives and improves patient outcomes. The Kaiser Permanente Fellowship is a 2-year program which includes 3 rotations (inpatient, corporate, and clinics) to give fellows the opportunity to see all sides of healthcare – operations, finance, support services, population health, and many more. There are no limits to what fellows are exposed to – anything is available if they ask. Because of this, the program equips fellows for many types of leadership roles.