Donna Schneider (dschneider@lifespan.org) is Vice President, Corporate Compliance and Internal Audit, Lifespan.
Compliance is a profession that is substantially more effective when wisdom is shared to discuss challenges, successes, and areas for improvement. Education is a prerequisite, and certifications are a demonstration of competency; however, hands-on, boots-on-the-ground experience is what is most valuable to a compliance professional. Why? Because while questions come into compliance and privacy offices every day that are new, different, and require critical thinking, the ability to draw on how similar situations were handled previously puts the office and organization at an advantage to achieve the best outcomes.
Therefore, to ensure the continued successful viability of our profession, we should collectively mentor our new compliance professionals and share our experiences. Those new to the profession, or new to aspects of the profession, may benefit from getting coached by those of us who have had more time invested in this work.
In other words, this means we need to bestow the gift of time on those new to the profession. You may be wondering, “How can I do that?” Your workday may be filled with tasks you prioritize more than spending time with others, coaching them on their workday. These tasks may include training your staff, working through a never-ending public health emergency on top of a national clinical staffing crisis, and more. The worries and to-do lists go on and on. However, in my mind, it’s not a “want to do,” it’s a “must do.” The profession must go on, and the following are a few easy ways we can do that, particularly through mentorship.
