{"id":32023,"date":"2013-07-19T14:30:40","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T18:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=32023"},"modified":"2019-01-02T20:48:34","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T02:48:34","slug":"venus-bradley-patient-resource-center-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=32023","title":{"rendered":"Venus Bradley, Patient Resource Center Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee\/interviewees’ positions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Venus Bradley\u2026Patient Resource Center Manager<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Venus<\/a>For the last year, I have been working with Venus as Lead Library Assistant in the Patient Resource Center at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital and I am very impressed by all the hard work she puts into this very unique library. I am very honored to share everything I have learned about Venus and the Resource Center through this interview J<\/p>\n

Leigh:<\/strong> How did you become Patient Resource Center Manager?<\/p>\n

Venus:<\/strong> Back in August 2007, Magee experienced a reduction in its workforce that resulted in a vacant librarian position.\u00a0 It was at that time, the President and CEO of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Jack Carroll, PhD asked me to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Resource Center.\u00a0 As his Executive Assistant, I felt compelled to meet yet another lofty request.\u00a0 I admittedly confessed to him that I was reluctant, yet honored to even be considered to fill such an important position.\u00a0 If the Internet is considered the information highway, then certainly a librarian is the vessel.\u00a0\u00a0A librarian\u00a0is obligated to help its patrons not only gain access to information, but to know how to use the information obtained.<\/p>\n

You can probably guess by now, that I am not a librarian; however, I surround myself with the right people (taking a lesson from the page of businessman, Lee Iacocca).\u00a0 These folks are responsible for the success of our program at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital.\u00a0 The former Chairman of Ford Motor Company once said, \u201cI hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way. \u201c \u00a0That said, I have eight active volunteers working with me in the Resource Center and they are educated in a variety of areas.\u00a0 Among them are: Masters of Library Science and Information Science, Biological Science, Accounting, Marketing and Management, Behavioral Health, and Music Education.\u00a0 The volunteers have been a tremendous help to me and Magee in helping to promote our program offerings, acquire federal grant money, provide health information to or simply fulfill the everyday requests of our consumers.\u00a0 I take\u00a0great\u00a0pride in knowing that our volunteers are helping to make a positive difference in the lives of our patients during their inpatient stay at Magee and I am sure that they do too.<\/p>\n

Leigh<\/strong>: Could you tell me a bit about the Resource Center at Magee Rehabilitation and what your job entails as Patient Resource Center Manager?<\/p>\n

Venus:<\/strong> The Resource Center is situated on the beautiful rooftop of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital located in downtown Philadelphia.\u00a0 It operates in the same manner as a local library.\u00a0 Of course the purpose of the Resource Center is to provide relevant information, particularly health information\u00a0to our patients, but it is also our goal for patients to use that information in a way that improves the care they receive.\u00a0 Having access to and possessing the right information, may help the patient to ask questions about his\/her\u00a0medical condition and could possibly lead to a better understanding of his\/her\u00a0situation, which should result in\u00a0the building of\u00a0a health-literate individual. \u00a0Patients, who are proficient in health literacy, statistically enjoy higher patient outcomes and that is our primary mission at Magee.<\/p>\n

My job as a supervisor is to make certain that patients and their families\u00a0have access to information and that they are aware of resources that could aid in the betterment of their care.\u00a0 In addition to this role, I have the pleasure of conducting mediated searches for\u00a0a number of\u00a0our physicians named to Philadelphia Magazine\u2019s Top Doctor list\u00a0and lay professionals, who are reputable\u00a0clinical lecturers and publishers in peer reviewed journals.\u00a0 \u00a0Also, in my position, I am responsible for budgeting the operations of the Resource Center, negotiating agreements with vendors of publications and databases, orienting and training volunteers, promoting\u00a0and marketing\u00a0program offerings, as well as performing small-scale fundraisers among other things.<\/p>\n

\"Leigh<\/a>Leigh:<\/strong> What is your favorite thing about libraries and\/or library technologies?<\/p>\n

Venus:<\/strong> I am a person who loves to have options and that is what a library offers.\u00a0 The collection of books, CDs and DVD, the availability of computers and information,\u00a0the observation of people\u00a0as well as the variety of scenery are my favorite things about any library.\u00a0 At Magee, my favorite technologies are the adaptive devices that are provided to our patients.\u00a0 When patients use adaptive tools, it levels the playing field.\u00a0 It turns their dis-ability into an ability and in that case, we all win; the patient, the multi-disciplines involved, the Resource Center and Magee overall.<\/p>\n

Leigh:<\/strong> What is your favorite library you have been to and why?<\/p>\n

Venus:<\/strong> Allow me to start by saying that the mission of any library is to help improve literacy.\u00a0 With that said my favorite library is the Free Library of Philadelphia.\u00a0 There are a vast amount of programs\/services offered such as computer training to help the user become acquainted with a computer, learn a new program, and\/or heighten\u00a0existing\u00a0skill sets; career workshops to help the unemployed and underemployed find gainful employment; adult education classes, author events, exhibitions to meet the interests of adults, teens and children; an impressive homebound service for individuals who can\u2019t leave their home; as well as a melting pot of current and historical collections.<\/p>\n

The Free Library of Philadelphia is colossal in stature; has incredibly beautiful architect and the Grecian columns are reminiscent of my\u00a0younger years\u00a0learning about the great Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.\u00a0 It is situated in the fabulous section of the city known as Logan Square, where you can find a plethora of great eateries, the gorgeous tree-lined Benjamin Franklin Parkway and a host of fine arts establishments such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art.\u00a0 The Free Library of Philadelphia is the only place on the planet that I know of where you can window shop magazines and books without the hassle of a sales person like those at chain book stores; arrange a one-on-one meeting (aka a first date) and leave\u00a0on a high note\u00a0even if your date was hideous\u00a0and ended on a low note, get a great cardio vascular workout while increasing strength in your legs, abdominal and gluteus maximus muscles by climbing the\u00a0grand stair cases, have access to intellectuals who come to speak,\u00a0enjoy\u00a0rare book collections and\u00a0see fine exhibitions inside and seedy characters outside, read best sellers, catch up on old best sellers, meet new authors, greet authors of the past, get wi -fi and the best news is that you get ALL of this for FREE.<\/p>\n

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the Free Library of Philadelphia.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Leigh:<\/strong> Any websites or blogs that we should be following?<\/p>\n

Venus:<\/strong> The Magee Facebook<\/a> and Magee Blog<\/a> are definitely go-to sites.\u00a0 Viewers can find valuable content concerning the latest happenings in healthcare, particularly in rehabilitation medicine as well as acquire relevant and topical health information\/education.<\/p>\n

Leigh:<\/strong> Best piece of job-hunting advice?<\/p>\n

Venus:<\/strong> Seek membership in a professional organization to stay on top of the latest happenings in your chosen field or to gain insight into a new field of interest.\u00a0 Attend career workshops (available\u00a0at the Free Library of Philadelphia)\u00a0to help with resume building and use social media outlets to inform folks that you are out of work.\u00a0 Establish LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. accounts.\u00a0 They allow employers to get a snapshot of who you are outside of your resume.\u00a0 I read somewhere that more than a third of all employers utilize these sites in the hiring process.\u00a0 Lastly, as a traditional means, word of mouth still works.\u00a0 It is the oldest form of advertising and statistically 55% of all adults get local news and information once a week via word of mouth.<\/p>\n

In the end, I believe, that it all boils down to word of mouth or networking.\u00a0 Most employers and careers sites confirm that 80% of jobs are not posted on job listings.\u00a0 They are only accessible through; you got\u00a0it, people who know people and telling them about opportunities, or serving as a referral source.\u00a0 My final piece of advice is to stay encouraged and keep your eyes on the prize\u00a0until the goal is met.<\/p>\n

Venus Bradley is the Medical Library – Patient Resource Center Manager at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, a 96-bed rehabilitation facility that specializes in the provision of physical and cognitive services.\u00a0 This flagship hospital is one of the first in the nation to earn an accreditation for its brain injury program from the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and is one of 14 federally designated centers for spinal cord injury.\u00a0 It offers an array of comprehensive treatment for stroke, amputation, pain management, concussions, and work injuries as well as services for wounded soldiers. Magee has been recognized as one of America\u2019s best rehabilitation hospitals as published by U.S. News & World Report. <\/i><\/p>\n

Venus has turned the department into a reliable income-producing entity by expanding the offerings of the Resource Center to include fee-for-service for non-patients.\u00a0 Under her leadership, the Resource Center received notable mention in a Joint Commission Accreditation Survey (exit conference).\u00a0 In conjunction with Magee\u2019s Grant Writer\/Researcher and the Resource Center Volunteer Assistant, Venus was able to secure a technology grant from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Venus also serves as the Credentialing Manager and the Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Executive Officer.\u00a0 She has been designated to serve as Magee\u2019s Campaign Chairperson for the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.\u00a0 She received her undergraduate degree from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and she holds a joint Master\u2019s Degree in Health and Business Administration from Eastern University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee\/interviewees’ positions Venus Bradley\u2026Patient Resource Center Manager by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin For the last year, I have been working with Venus as Lead Library Assistant in the Patient Resource Center at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":32026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3592,4955,4954,3597,216,3918,4952,4953],"class_list":["post-32023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-six","tag-blog","tag-health-literacy","tag-hospital-library","tag-inalj-wisconsin","tag-interviews","tag-leigh-milligan","tag-patient-resource-library","tag-venus-bradley"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/venus-bradley1.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-8kv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}