Behind the Numbers: Finance and IT, Department of Medicine
A boardroom full of banter between colleagues isn't what you'd expect walking into a Finance and IT department. But if you take a quick trip to visit the Department of Medicine's Finance and IT team located in Victoria Hospital, you’ll get just that.
The team includes Jeff Boyes, Selin Erten and Shannon Moxey, who serve as Finance Officers; Ben Johnson, finance assistant and Daniel Labarca, systems coordinator.
The team of five credit Sue Thomsen, the Manager of Administration and Finance and Martha Burke, administrative coordinator for having built a team with enviable characteristics: chemistry, respect and competency.
“There are not many places where people get along as well as we do – there's a friendship here,” said Moxey. “We have full respect for each other and that’s very rare to have that type of trust among coworkers,” she added.
The team has been actively involved in the development of a balanced scorecard for the department – a recent initiative that focuses on measurable values to demonstrate how effectively the Department of Medicine is achieving its strategic plan goals.
“While used extensively in the business world, the balanced scorecard is something new for a clinical department and an academic environment – it's exciting to be involved in something from the early development stages to the final product,” said Boyes.
Simultaneously, the team has been working on the release and user training of a new version of the OHIP billing program IBIS, to develop a more streamlined program that better serves the user. They are doing this all while maintaining internal controls.
There is no typical day for the close-knit team. Boyes, Erten, Moxey and Johnson could spend their day dealing with human resources concerns involving faculty or staff, preparing earning reports or answering salary questions, in addition to a long list of administrative tasks on their to do lists.
While Labarca, a man of many hats, spends his time supporting the team with any software related questions and improving programming throughout the department.
Although each team member is assigned to support a division within the Department of Medicine, they collaborate on daily tasks to overcome issues as a team.
“I like my days because they’re complex and consist of different things,” said Erten. “Challenges are good, it’s stuff we get excited about because we get to talk about it and work through them as a team,” she added enthusiastically.
“This is a unique environment,” said Johnson. “And the team really focuses on how to provide the best service to those around them. It’s what makes coming to work fun.”
Supporting the largest department at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry is no easy feat, but the team attributes their success to working with great faculty and staff that have cultivated a positive work environment.
