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MY PRACTICUM
VITAL CARE
EMS
This semester, I completed my practicum with Vital Care EMS. Vital Care is an ambulance company that provides medical transport to physician appointments as well as other types of other non-emergency transportation. As the public relations intern for Vital Care, I handled the organization’s media relations, website, and communication with nursing homes and clinics which are their primary audiences. I spent most of my days at work traveling between clinics, nursing homes, and patient homes building relationships with patients and health care professionals.
Management
Analysis
Working at Vital Care EMS proved to be an interesting look at management styles, particularly because I worked in the Columbia office while the main office is in Greenville, South Carolina. The Columbia office is run by Rick Kaczenski, the VP of Operations. In Greenville, there is the CEO and CFO. The owner of Vital Care, Dave Roberts, is also heavily involved in the operations of the company.
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One thing that became clear working at Vital Care, was the lack of clear hierarchy. Oftentimes the crew members don't know whom to complain to or ask questions of and this leads to a lot of miscommunication and drama. The breakdown in communication often kept crew members from working towards a common goal. They did not always understand what was explicitly expected for them.
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If I were to suggest a management style that could help Vital Care with communication, I would suggest the bureaucratic theory. A transportation company like Vital Care runs on systematic efficiency. Clearly defined roles and feedback loops are critical. A lot of the frustration and turnover within the organization comes from not having specific guidelines to meet expectations. Much of my time as a public relations intern was spent apologizing to patients nad clinics for tardiness that could have been avoided with communication.
Critical
Thinking
Although Vital Care EMS does not use formal research to inform decisions, the PR team does frequently request feedback from patients and clinics. Most of my duties involved collecting such feedback and making suggestions based on them.
Ethical considerations are also very important for Vital Care. As a medical transport company, Vital Care is particularly careful to follow HIPPA guidelines and ensure the best care for patients. Vital Care is unique in that the company does not charge patients who are covered by Medicare or other insurances. Usually, a service will charge patients for any part of their transportation that is not covered by their insurance. Vital Care absorbs those costs in order to provide the lowest legal price for medical transportation.
Something Vital Care could improve upon is being strategic. A lot of Vital Care's communications and management are run day-by-day. Long-term planning goes into some projects, but not many in terms of the PR team. Oftentimes, the PR team is instructed to recruit new patients before management has increased the number of crew members or amount of equipment. Rather than planning outreach approaches based on considerations such as hiring, the PR Team operates as a separate entity, with its own goals. Planning is also not one of Vital Care's strong suits. Although very involved in the community, a lot of events Vital Care hosts or attends are thrown together last-minute. Planning events and community involvement projects in advance would greatly improve the outcome of such activities.
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Ultimately, Vital Care is a solid organization. With the organization, I have made contacts in Dialysis clinics, hospitals, and all other types of medical facilities. I have probably learned the most about community relations from this position, and working with patients has given me insight into an entirely new demographic. The PR Team does a good job of creating real, caring relationships with patients and pushing for feedback from partners. I was better at the latter than the former. By the end of the practicum, however, I was on a first-name basis with most of our patients and they felt comfortable calling me personally with their problems. I consider this quality within Vital Care — the time dedicated to connecting with people — to be the company's biggest strength.