Post by Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago

Thirteen years ago, Danica Rodriguez, MHA (MHA '24) gave birth to a son, 24 weeks premature, at Loyola Medical Center. She found the care provided by the doctors, nurses, and staff at Loyola to be so inspiring, that she started pursuing her own career in the healthcare sector. A proud Loyola Parkinson graduate, Rodriguez is now a department administrator at the same hospital where her son was born. She talked with us about how Loyola Parkinson helped her get where she is today. Q. How did you ultimately choose Loyola Parkinson? A. I came in as an adult learner, because I failed out of college when I first went after high school. I was kicked out of college a couple of times, because, you know: “rebel, rebel.” I just didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. So here’s what happened. I ended up having a child prematurely at Loyola Medical Center. My son was born at 24 weeks. Watching the doctors and nurses and social workers take care of him and me, that was my path into healthcare administration. I got into healthcare because I was in the NICU for three months. My son is doing amazing. He's 13 now. He's taller than I am. Today, I'm actually the department administrator for pediatrics, so I work with a couple of the doctors who actually took care of my son while he was in the NICU. Q. So you went back to school after that experience? A. Yes, I initially wanted to be a social worker. I went back to school and got my undergraduate degree in applied psychology at Loyola University of Chicago. After that, I got my MHA graduate degree virtually from Loyola Parkinson. Q. Tell us more about what you’re doing now. A. I'm the department administrator for pediatrics and urology. I essentially run the financial aspects of the departments, but I also oversee physician onboarding and credentialing. I also have nurse practitioners who report to me, so I do get involved with operations as well. Q. How did Loyola Parkinson help get you where you are today? A. They gave me the confidence to see my own self worth in my position, and they helped me clarify what my vision as an administrator was. I think a lot of people who go into administration without a clinical background tend to shy away a little bit in terms of confidence, because they're not a physician. But what I can do, and what I learned from Loyola Parkinson, is that I am an expert at being a healthcare administrator — and not a lot of clinical people can do that. So my main goal was to become somebody who could allow doctors to doctor and focus on patient care while I set the stage for the day to day operations.