Member Spotlight: Jonnita "J" Pleasant
This month the Member Spotlight is on Jonnita "J" Pleasant, Director of Patient Access at Baylor College of Medicine. Learn more about J below. Want to be a part of our PAC Member Spotlight? Fill out the form here or click here and email completed form to admin@patientaccesscollaborative.net.
How long have you been a member of the Patient Access Collaborative?: A long time, I believe at least 8 years.
What do you like about being a member?:
I love being a member, I rely on this team to help us with making operational decisions. It’s so important to know what others are doing and the fact that you are not alone is great! This organization allowed us operational leaders to have a resource to share with our executive leaders who before we joined this organization didn’t understand what was needed to manage a centralized call center. So like isn’t the word to describe how thankful I am to have a place where I belong and can communicate with like minded peers.
How has your career benefited from being a member?:
My career along with my team career has benefitted by us being able see what others are doing in with job titles and staffing along with workflows. When you can share with Physicians and clinic administrators what others are doing, they tend to listen and have a better understanding.
What tips or advice would you give new members?:
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, look on the website, understand the power of resources. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
What do you love most about your job?:
I am the director over our centralized call center, majority of my staff join our department to get a foot in the door. What I love the most is seeing our staff grow and better their careers. I am proud to say that we have employees at Baylor who started in our call center and are now Epic analysis, administrators throughout the college, master schedulers and trainers the list goes on. I currently have 9 leaders under me and out of the 9, six are internal promotions. I love helping our patients getting the medical care they need.
What meaningful project are you working on right now?
We are in the process of upgrading our IVR menus to improve our patient experience along with our Patient Access. Very exciting.
What career advice do you live by?:
Failure to plan to failure and failure isn’t an option.
What are your hobbies?:
Decorating, bike riding, and traveling.
Where is your favorite place you've travelled?:
Too many to name, however I recently travel to the Coast of California and it was so beautiful. Right in the USA.
What's a fun fact that people probably don't know about you?:
I started dancing at the age of 2 and danced professionally within the union after college.
Who inspires you and why?:
My mom who was a nurse. My mom lost her legs but never gave up she continued to work and learn to walk as double amputee, she was always positive and never gave up! She was known in Chicago in the nursing home arena for coming in and preparing nursing homes to pass all inspections and she never met a stranger. She introduced us to diversity at a young age and always stress that everyone is equal and should be treated with respect.