When Taylor Price accepted that nursing was not the path for her, she did not give up on health care.
Instead, she pivoted to the B.S. in Health Services Administration online and thrived “on the business side of things,” she says.
Now a senior human resources operations associate in the Department of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; Price has learned how an administrator’s work supports clinicians and serves patients and their families.
Price’s journey picked up momentum in the Health Services Administration capstone course, taught by Dr. Rachel Ellison.
“It was the first internship I’d ever done, and I got real world exposure to the health care field,” says Price.
Through her internship, Price found her passion for human resources and a place to grow professionally and personally.
Change of Plans
Raised in Katy, Texas, Price came to the University in 2013 intending to major in nursing.
“Throughout high school, I wanted to be a nurse,” she says.
Eventually, Price admitted to herself that she wasn’t meant for clinical care as she learned more of “what all nursing entails.”
“I do have a weak stomach,” says Price. “So, I thought, ‘maybe this isn’t the best choice.’”
“I still wanted to stay in health care,” she says.
She learned about the Health Services Administration program from a classmate and saw an opportunity to leverage her credits in a new direction — health care management, policy, finance and operations, and human resources.
Prepared for Success
Price says transitioning to a 100% online degree program allowed her to distribute the coursework to her advantage.
“In a lot of online classes, instructors would post weeks out, so if I finished one week’s module, I could start on the next week,” she says.
Because she could work ahead, Price could then approach the weightier, end-of-term assignments with greater focus.
“Projects, papers, whatever it may be, I was able to kind of take my time,” she says.
Studying online also allowed Price to move back home to Katy by her senior year, where she found her instructors just as accessible.
When she struggled to connect with a facility for her capstone internship, Price reached out to her instructor who was able to support her remotely.
“Dr. Ellison found a residential memory care facility that was near me,” says Price.
Price says her work as an intern under the executive director of Sundance Memory Care was eye-opening, “I thought, ‘this is what the real world is like.’”
“I worked mainly on HR projects, like revising training binders for new hires, calling applicants for interviews, helping new hires with orientations,” says Price.
While she had been interested in HR since a class in her undergraduate program, stepping into a real role with responsibilities made up her mind.
“That’s kind of where I fell in love with HR,” says Price.
The Proving Ground
Though Price was eager to stay on at Sundance after her internship, there were no appropriate openings... yet.
However, when a full-time position became available, the CEO knew who to call.
By joining the facility full-time, Price gained a master class in connecting technical knowledge and interpersonal skills.
By communicating with supervisors and team leaders, Price could be more strategic and effective in recruiting and interviewing new applicants.
“From an HR standpoint, you have to make sure you really are vetting these candidates, making sure they do have the necessary skill set,” says Price. “You have to set the tone for what’s expected from each person that works with you, and what the residents’ rights are, and what they deserve.”
The Best Fit
It was also while working at Sundance that Price applied to graduate school.
“I wanted to further my education,” she says. “I love learning and I thought ‘OK, this would probably be a good steppingstone into one of those higher-level roles in the future.’”
Because she wanted an online program and she knew what she could expect from her alma mater, she chose the University.
“I was like ‘You know what, UL Lafayette has an MBA online. Let me stick with UL Lafayette,’” says Price. “I have nothing but good things to say about the University. It was reasonably priced, and I was already familiar with their online classes and everything. This was kind of a no-brainer.”
Leadership and Understanding
In just over six years, Price has worked across specialties including long-term acute care, dentistry, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Now at Baylor College of Medicine, she approaches problems with an understanding of how decisions make an impact from the top down.
“It really starts at the top like a food chain,” says Price. “Managing issues is a lot of asking questions like ‘How are you rolling out new policies and procedures? Are you giving employees time to adjust?’”
Price approaches her work with diligence, attention to detail, and drive to solve problems.
She is also intentional and attentive about being available to answer employees’ questions, to communicate across roles, specialties and educational levels, whether it’s with colleagues, patients, or families.
“You have to be able to kind of break it down,” says Price. “You can’t use all the medical terminology but express it just plainly.”