Amy Mansue, President of Southern Region, RWJBarnabas Health spoke to incoming Masters of Health Administration students at the Bloustein School on September 4. Her role encompasses all the system’s service areas from the Raritan River south, including: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick, RWJ Somerset, RWJ Hamilton, Community Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus and Children’s Specialized Hospital.
As the students begin their course of study in the master’s program, Ms. Mansue reminded them that every part of health care administration is more than just “checking off the boxes,” and that at every level one has the opportunity to impact patients, their families and many othes at critical points in their lives. When working it can be very easy to lose sight of the patient as a person. A good administrator, she said, will know that it’s not what is said to the patient, but how it is said as well as how well one listens to the patient. She advised the students to follow the mantra of “show up, and never forget who the patient is; shut up, and listen to what the patient’s needs are; and stand up to ask why something may or may not be working and be part of the solution.”
When one student asked how she, as an administrator, was able to balance her passion and vision with reality, Ms. Mansue said she always keeps in her mind that she wants to know that she tried, no matter how small the issue or outcome. “You need to make an impact at your spot in life. At the end of the day, know you helped one person make their life better that day.”
Prior to joining RWJBarnabas Health, Ms. Mansue served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Specialized Hospital, and Chief Strategy Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Health System. Ms. Mansue has public sector experience at both the federal and state level. She served as Co-Chair of the Budget Transition Advisory Committee for Governor-Elect Phil Murphy. She worked for Governor Jim Florio as a staffer on healthcare policy in Congress and in his policy office. In 1993, Ms. Mansue oversaw programs for children, people with developmental disabilities, mental health and Medicaid as a Deputy Commissioner in the New Jersey Department of Human Services. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor James McGreevey.