HTM On The Line with BRYANT HAWKINS SR.
This Podcast is the place where we celebrate the hardworking professionals in the field of Healthcare Technology Management. It's going to be for HTM by HTM, and more importantly this podcast is going to be fun. This is where you will hear HTM professionals getting the exposure and credit they ALL deserve.
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HTM On The Line with BRYANT HAWKINS SR.
"Mentorship, Leadership, and Impact: The Justin Smith Story"
Ever wondered how a career in electronic engineering could transition into a fulfilling journey within healthcare technology management? Justin Smith, a veteran with over two decades of experience, takes us through his incredible path, from working in medical rentals to opening a standalone pediatric hospital in Orlando, Florida. He shares how mentorship has shaped his career and offers insights into the rewarding aspects of pediatric healthcare, emphasizing the essential role HTM professionals play in healthcare settings.
We are immensely grateful to our partners— College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, A.M. BICKFORD, INC., UptimeServices, PM BIOMEDICAL and Talent Exclusive—for their support in making this podcast possible. Their dedication to advancing the Healthcare Technology Management industry is truly commendable. For more information about their contributions and services, please visit their websites.
For more podcast episodes, motivational videos, blogs, and newsletters, make sure to visit our website at htmontheline.com. We look forward to connecting with you.
Welcome to another exciting episode of HTM on the Line. I'm your host, bryant Hawkins Sr, and today we've got something truly special for you. Get ready for an inspiring conversation with my friend, justin Smith, a trailblazer in the healthcare technology management industry With over 20 years of experience. Justin's journey is packed with dedication, leadership and mentorship that will leave you fired up. If you're searching for motivation and how to lead, mentor and make a lasting impact in your community through HTM, then buckle up. This episode is made for you. Welcome to HTM On the Line. I have a special guest with me today. I'm joined by Justin Smith. Justin, how are you doing today, man?
Speaker 1:I'm doing well, Brian. How are you? I'm doing just great, man. I'm glad you took a little time out to be the schedule to join me. First thing, just tell the listeners a little about yourself, Justin. Tell us about your journey in the HTM industry.
Speaker 2:Oh man, that could take a little bit right. The short version Can I give you. The short version. Short version is I fell into the industry and now I'm here.
Speaker 2:No, but seriously, you know, for me my journey through the industry was not like, unlike other peoples. But I will say this, this I didn't know that our industry existed, and I think that's a pretty common theme throughout our profession. A lot of people, especially from you, know. 20 plus years ago I had that same kind of beginning. So in my case I started in 99, 2000. I went to school for electronic engineering technology and I just thought I was going to be a guy working on computers or video games or installing network systems, something to that effect. But life had a, you know, a different path for me, and with that I ended up in the medical industry, working on the medical rental side for many years. I did that and with that I ended up in the medical industry, working on the medical rental side for many years. I did that and that's how I got my first introduction to clinical engineering or healthcare technology management, which was then more known as biomedical engineering. You know, from there I was able to excel with the company that I was with in medical rental. That company no longer exists anymore, going through some hands changing. I did that for about three to four years and then I found myself working inside the actual hospital system up in Jacksonville, florida, actually Stayed with that organization for several years, got a lot of you know training my expertise was in ventilator, pulmonary ventilation, to be exact, balloon pumps, patient monitoring but I kind of did it all, even learned how to do dental x-ray installations back in those days all over the state and even outside of the state as well.
Speaker 2:Then I got the opportunity to leave that organization and join another organization in 2008. And with that organization I got an opportunity to start a hospital from ground up, basically meaning it was owned by one organization, a health. I went to work for, purchase it and I got to go in and help stand up that uh, that program for HTM. From there I was there. I've got a lot of leadership opportunities for both the organizations. I got in the leadership programs that they had exclusively for individuals that were looking for that opportunity to go up the ladder, and I was always pretty ambitious and looking for different projects and such and I got into each of those programs at the different hospital organizations.
Speaker 2:From there, I actually got the great opportunity to relocate from Jacksonville, florida, to Orlando, florida, to open up a brand new pediatric standalone hospital, and that experience to date is one of the greatest experiences that I ever had. I mean, I got to get in there with health care executives and other leaders within the health system and create a culture and environment that to this day is still standing, and I got to create a team for the first time on my own as being the leader there, and I remained with that team for 14 years. With that team for 14 years. Fun fact, we were even featured in the Tech Nation magazine many years ago because of what we were doing, and so that was exciting.
Speaker 2:From there, I did a host of different things within the organization that I work with. I even did some things outside of the organization as well to help me gain further insights into our profession and what we're doing. I started doing more volunteer work as well. Outside of that, because of my connection to what we do, I became a member of a nonprofit, the Long Association of Central Florida, the local chapter and that's been very rewarding, and you know I like to think about my ascension, if you want to call it, throughout my career, and how, at every step.
Speaker 2:It was really a step that I couldn't have foreseen for myself, but I had mentors along the way that saw something in me that I didn't have foreseen for myself. But I had mentors along the way that saw something in me that I didn't even see in myself and gave me opportunities that I come later to realize I earned those opportunities because of the type of work, ethic and things that I've done. And you know, being in leadership is not easy, but you know what? Being a technician is not easy. I always felt we were the unsung heroes when it came to the organizations that we served. We provided such a great service that sometimes goes unnoticed, but I would say with the work that you've been doing, brian, and others in our profession, that has started to shift pretty significantly. It's still a long way to go, but it's definitely leaps and bounds from what it was when I started over two decades ago. So that's kind of a quick synopsis of my journey.
Speaker 1:Man, that's a nice journey you had there. Brother, I picked up on you saying you worked at a pediatric hospital. I'm currently working at one and I can tell you that it's like almost a blessing just to go to work every day and see the good you do towards those children, Helping them to get the medical health care they need by keeping the equipment functioning. Let me just ask you this since you worked at a pediatric, do you have a story you can share with us, One great story working at a pediatric hospital you could share with us?
Speaker 2:Oh man, you know, I think my journey was even a little bit before that, working for that hospital and I'll tell you a little bit of my connection and purpose, and it really should tie in into when I was working for the pediatric hospital too. So, like I said earlier in the conversation, I worked in medical rental. So for many years I learned how to work on ventilators. I delivered ventilators to hospitals all over Florida and even in some in Georgia, and in that role I basically just dropped equipment off the respiratory and went on to the next hospital. Well, when I got the opportunity to work in the hospital in Jacksonville, I actually myself had a six-month-old daughter at that time one of my four kids that I have and I remember walking through that NICU and seeing the ventilators that I had worked on. That had my my credentials on the sticker that said that Justin said that this device was ready to be used to support sustaining life.
Speaker 2:That hit me in a different kind of way that I didn't expect at that time and I would say, you know, bringing something to a community that didn't exist in that immediate area it does exist from a pediatric standpoint in the city, but in this standalone way and opening the doors for the first time, bringing in the first patient and knowing that the team had done everything that they could to make sure that equipment was ready to go, was always just such a great achievement for the overall team and for the organization.
Speaker 2:I would say, as far as that one story that hits the hardest, I still think it's just a combination of things, and what I mean by that all of them at any given time felt just special always made me feel as though what we were doing meant so much and it meant so much more to the people that were receiving the care, you know, the parents, the grandparents, the other guardians and, of course, the child. Right, and knowing that the healthcare organization that I worked for was actually providing a high level of care on a consistent basis and the team that supports those medical devices were doing the things that needed and were supposed to be done and our equipment was helping them save or enhance lives. It meant was helping them save or enhance lives.
Speaker 1:Wow, let's just switch gears a little bit here. Now. You mentioned you started in this industry back in 2000, 2002, something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was late, 99, 2000.
Speaker 1:We're looking at almost 25 years. Over 25 years, actually. That's a long time. Congratulations. Now, how, in your opinion, do you think the HTM industry has evolved over the years, and what significant changes have you witnessed?
Speaker 2:And what significant changes have you witnessed? Well, I think that, thinking about when I first got in one I don't believe as the industry we were, we saw ourselves as the professionals that we are and I don't know if that was just the culture of which some of us worked in or it was just a mindset, but I've seen that definitely shift over the past two and a half decades. Now in our industry is the fact that we're getting to sit at the table to talk to the leaders across health systems to help them see how we can support them in their efforts to provide care, and then the technology that we started to really put in place and the partnerships that's been made to enhance training opportunities for our technicians and the training opportunities that organizations are also providing their leadership. I think in the past, leaders were not necessarily given the additional training that they needed and that affected the culture of which we were in at those times, because they just didn't know they come up through different ways, through different non-corporate entities, maybe some small business, maybe other informal ways, and with that it was just a lot of things that some of us, we just didn't know.
Speaker 2:Myself included in that, and I like to say now, with platforms like yours, that's bringing a different kind of awareness as well and kind of, you know, like a little bit more of a rock star type of vibe to it. We were able to reach a different age group as well and getting them involved in what we do I mean the work that you're doing within your local community, brian, is has been inspiring to me as well, or inspiring, I should say. You know, I wish we would have had something like that when I was in high school. Even in college, trying to figure out what I really was going to do, there was nobody highlighting that this profession existed. And there's more work, so much more work being done in that, with all of the different shows that's out there locally, statewide and even nationally, and I think those are some of the biggest accomplishments in our profession. And I could probably keep going, but I just had to kind of highlight a few things.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that kind words, the kind words also, but one of the reasons why I created this podcast so people like you can come on here and share your stories, Because there's a lot of stories out there we often go on with. But I think personally, when individuals can hear the challenges that HGN professionals go through, it kind of humanizes our industry a little more and gets more appreciation for it. Now you mentioned you touched on leadership how you see that people are being trained more, how to become better leaders. What leadership qualities do you believe are essential for success in the HTM industry?
Speaker 2:You know, I think that when a leader has the ability to help their people in ways that's unexpected and what I mean by that is one we all need to have higher levels of emotional intelligence in our workspace. But going to our technicians or even our own bosses or colleagues and having the conversations about things that we're experiencing meaning the challenges, the great accomplishments and all that makes up the environment that we're in I think one of the things that resonated with me as a technician and I tried to take with me when I got into leadership was when I had a leader that identified that I was doing something well and did it before it was time for annual review. You know, had purposeful conversations with me about the work that I was doing well or something that I could improve upon, that I was doing well or something that I could improve upon in right, understanding that the people that they're leading are still human beings and we all are going to have times where we're not performing at the highest. But if we don't give that crucial feedback as positively as possible, as positively as possible, then we are not doing justice to our team. And, I think, also understanding, as a leader, where you need improvement, self-awareness right.
Speaker 2:We're not always the smartest person in the room for whatever technology we're responsible for, but understanding who you can get with to help you gain the insights that you need meaning your technician, or calling a vendor partner, whomever, that is understanding your resources and a lot of times those resources are right at your fingertips. And it's a call, it's an email, it's a text, it's just a conversation. And if I had to add anything else and notes, probably going to seem very minimalized, but I learned this from a former colleague a long time ago being personable and remembering people, even if you don't remember the name. If you can remember something about them, it humanizes yourself, but it also lets them know that you were paying attention to whatever conversations you may have had in the past. And those things help you build relationships. Building relationships throughout, not just your team, but outside of your peer group, on executive levels, in your community. Building those relationships will help you gain far more success than a lot of other things that you may think.
Speaker 1:That's so true. That's so true. Now, I love the qualities you mentioned about being a leader and, along with that, that most leaders should always, in my opinion, look at themselves as mentors, and no doubt, just from talking with you, I'm sure you probably have a mentor, or plenty mentors, in your career.
Speaker 2:And, if so, can you share a story about a mentor who probably influenced you in your professional growth? Yeah, you know I had a mentor. It was. It was. It's interesting because this was a gentleman that actually saw something in me, and I would say midway through my career to date, and I was a technician and I just did what was needed to be done to make sure that we were prepared for, you know, regulatory visits and things to that nature. But I guess somewhere along the line I must have pressed upon him that I wanted to be more, do more, and as the years passed on he tapped me to do more things, different projects and such. Well, he ended up leaving the organization and went to another organization. So I lost contact with him, knew he was out there but didn't know exactly where he was at. Well, that pediatric only hospital that I was talking to you about, he ended up being a leader there and in the midst of going through the process of looking for leadership for clinical engineering, I got the opportunity to put in for that role and I ultimately got that role and so I got to stay under his leadership for a pretty long time pretty much 10, 12 years span in total.
Speaker 2:Well, during my time there, it was instances where, like everybody, we have something that comes up and you know, all hands on deck and we need to formulate a plan around whatever is going on and do it. Well, this one particular time, my mentor came to me because we had different conversations about me wanting to grow and potentially look at going into higher levels of leadership. Well, we needed to open a unit, right, who? Who's in our profession haven't had to do that? Right, you, you gotta, you gotta shift. You got an influx of patients coming in because the census is high and you, you gotta open up this area that you don't use that often. And, of course, uh and and and health care fashion the equipment that was theirs found its way off somewhere else. You know it grows feet at times.
Speaker 2:And so he asked me would I go in and help lead the efforts to get that unit up? And at the time, brian, I was a bit set back because in my mind I thought that was a clinician thing to do, because it wasn't just about the medical equipment. And I even asked him hey, you sure you want me to take the lead on doing this? And he said I called you didn't. I and I said yes, you did. And I said yes, you did.
Speaker 2:And so we went from there. I was able to formulate a team that was not just health care technology team but also clinical leaders, environmental service, able to come together, identify what we need and we got that area up and ready for patients in the time that was needed so we didn't have to continue to hold and like the EB and other places like that. And you know that mentor chose me to do that in that moment because he needed someone that could execute the plan in a way that he thought it needed to be done and somebody that would tell him hey, this is the barriers that we have and this is the proposed solution that we've come up with as a collective team, so that he could help remove those barriers. And I don't think that would have happened if it had not been for a mentor like him, who had seen me grow from a technician and get into leadership and just give me that kind of opportunity.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, honestly, to have a mentor like that and you guys still friends to this day.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately he passed last year. Great guy, great, great guy. He was a mentor to so many people. Quite honestly, and I think about him consistently, especially if I'm going through here and I could call him up and ask him. And you know, he just gave me so many tools over the years that I felt like I've been prepared to sit in a room with anyone and quite honestly I have. I've sat in a room with a lot of people that some might think I don't belong there, but I have. I've been there and had great outcomes and continue to have good relationships and even new relationships like ours. Brian, you know we're we're we're fairly new friends and but it's been great in the short amount of time that we've been able to, you know, just just dialogue.
Speaker 1:Hey man, I've never met a stranger, so we're friends from hell. But that's inspiring. My condolences, too, on your mentor passing, but obviously that's the beauty of mentoring because it lives on and it lives on through the people that you mentor and inspire and it's truly a blessing to see how he's inspired you and no doubt that inspiration and mentorship that he put up on you you probably passed on to many people. And just thinking, you mentioned how you assisted open up a hospital and you worked in various roles in various organizations. You was a leader of a HTM team. Couple all that in and with all the changes you've seen since 1999 in the HTM industry. What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the HTM industry?
Speaker 2:I would say probably a couple of things. One, you know always do your due diligence about this profession and what it is that we do. Find someone that you can tie yourself to as a mentee meaning find yourself a mentor in this space, if at all possible. You know, stay up on any type of articles and the different advances in technology outside of health care, because it's the same Like the technology that you use at home is being used in health care in a lot of ways too as well. And the other thing I would say is have a level of patience as you go through and navigate this profession and be okay with being uncomfortable. And when I say be okay with being uncomfortable, meaning that we are in a health care environment.
Speaker 2:We do have to go into rooms where people are in situations that we may not have encountered before. We are expected to conduct ourselves as though it's us that needs that help and care. One day it really probably will be that, um, us that's in that that patient bed or on that or our table. Be curious and come from a place of curiosity when you're asking questions and you're seeking knowledge and find that thing that you think that you would love to do for a long time, because that's the thing that will keep pressing you forward in your technology space and ask for what you want. If you want to learn how to work on a piece of equipment, ask, and if you can't get the training at a school, then that's where relationships evolve from with your peer group. If possible, ojt is still a great thing to get.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Now I've seen this report about you, sir, where you received some recognition for what you do outside of work. Tell us about that recognition you received and why did you receive that recognition?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I like to think it's because of the way I participated in other things within the organization as well and I'm not afraid to speak on what I believe and I don't have a problem with sharing and being transparent parent. And in that particular instance, I had the opportunity to take time off that was provided by my organization and I was able to use it in a way that was just really powerful and a little bit emotional for me and kind of went like this have a day, I can use it out the year to do different things, and the intent of that day is to find something that you want to experience, you want to learn, or something in the community, whatever it is that you want to do with that day. And for me, in that instance, I was trying to figure out what was that, what did I want to do? Well, I went to church one Sunday and you know they're doing their announcements, I'm sure we're familiar with that and so happened a food drive was going to be done on my actual birthday, which was also also happened to be a weekday, and I leaned over to my wife and said, hey, that's what I want to do for my birthday and that's what I want to use that day for and, out of everything almost a year had gone for me trying to figure out what I was going to do with that that was the only thing that felt right and so I did that.
Speaker 2:It was the best day ever. The sun was out, the wind was blowing. It was just a perfect day to give back to the community and doing that event. I got to take part in helping over 700 families receive food that otherwise they may not have had and just being able to connect with people and them saying you know, saying thank you for this, some of them in tears. You've been having me getting a little bit emotional because I was getting. I was able to be impactful in a different way and in that there was a highlight in there of getting some recognition for for giving back to the community and just sharing that story and how it really did touch me and it continues to fuel energy today for other things that I do outside of that.
Speaker 1:Right, that was a beautiful impact that you provided for the community. Now getting back to the job, the career. What do you think our HTM industry's impact is on patient care?
Speaker 2:in your opinion? Oh man, I think it's. I think our impact on patient care is right up there with, and maybe arguably so is right up there with, the people who are given direct care, and what I mean by that is it's a lot of things that we do that help them to help the patient. It's things that we service. We get to provide the reliability on that as far as it's supportable for an extended amount of time. We also are helping identify potential cyber risk in the HTM as well now, and we also are in a position to help organizations minimize waste so that they can utilize funds in order to provide higher levels of care to patients, provide higher levels of care to patients, and I could keep going. But I just feel like our impact may not be felt by those directly on the outside, but without us, we as an industry not saying just HTM, but as a healthcare industry would not be in a great place. That's my personal opinion.
Speaker 1:Collaboration. I'm real high on collaborating with people within our different departments in the hospital. Now, how important do you think collaboration is for HTM professionals?
Speaker 2:You got to be able to collaborate.
Speaker 2:You got to be able to collaborate with those hospital leaders and departments.
Speaker 2:And when I say leaders, I don't mean just the director or manager of a department Sometimes it's just the new tech in radiology right, there's still a leader in what they're doing, because at that point in time in which they're providing patient care right, they're leading that patient in and they're being trusted to be able to provide a diagnostic test, right.
Speaker 2:So if you can have a partnership with every level of a department in some shape or form, right when you need access to get a piece of equipment or you trying to find a piece of equipment that you haven't been able to find, those relationships help you be successful and help them be successful so they can have the equipment they need when they need it. The other thing that I believe comes out of those relationships is and just to be transparent everything is not going to go 100 percent correct and in those times those relationships can be the determinant factor and those times those relationships can be the determining factor. If you have longevity and again this is my opinion it helps you have longevity within your department because people see you as somebody who is a collaborative person or you have a collaborative team versus someone that's adversarial.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's exactly true. Collaboration works so many ways. I mean, if you head on with the directors and departments, we have to collaborate with them, because that's the only way we're going to get a seat at the table, because we're already stuffed way in the back of the hospital so we have to come out the back cave or the basement, you know, back in the back by the morgue. So if we don't come out those offices and collaborate with these individuals and a lot of that comes from doing daily rounds that can be the beginning of it. But let me ask you this one more question here what drives you to stay passionate about the HTM industry every day? What's your motivation?
Speaker 2:You know, I think for me the thing that drives my motivation, it extends back to the beginning and I remember my mom asking me what type of company or what type of organization and what kind of what. What did I want to do? And I told her that I wanted to work for a big, small industry. And she said what does that even mean, son? And so I said to her I said I want to work for a organization and industry that is doing a lot for people, want to work for a organization and industry that is doing a lot for people and it may not be fully known to the extent of what they are doing, but they're doing some big things. They might not be the household name, they might not be the one you you first even think about, but they're, they're having impact on, on life in the community. And so every now and then I get back and thinking about, hey, why did I get in this industry? And then I can look back over the timeline of life and think about the different instances of ways that, because of my support of healthcare system and the team support that I was a part of, we were able to do the thing that I said all those years ago. And it also helps that my wife is also in healthcare as well too, and so, while I don't work in the same environment that I did work in all the time through her, I still see the impact of what it is that we do in our industry to support their efforts, and I have other friends that are that. And then I do go to hospitals still and do things to support them. And I would say something that just happened recently, just happened recently, and I wouldn't even call it an aha moment, but I would say wow, it was a increased connection to purpose.
Speaker 2:I was visiting a client and I was just parked in the parking garage, walking into the building and a husband and wife were were coming out and the wife had made it to the vehicle and the husband was in a wheelchair. The husband said excuse me, sir, could you please help me? And I said yes, sir, what can I do for you? He said I can make it to my car, but I know I don't have the gas left in my tank to put the wheelchair in the back. Could you please assist me with that? I said, yes, sir, whatever it is that you need, I got you. And so he made it.
Speaker 2:He was able to get out the wheelchair, got it, fold them up and he was just so appreciative and so thankful for the fact that I took a moment to assist him and his wife and she was. She was so happy that as well, life and she was. She was so happy that as well, because she looked like she was tired, and in that moment for me it was like, wow, I got for a brief moment in time to take a small tiny burden off of somebody, to give them a little moment of peace and a lack of worry. So when those type of things like that happen, it just keeps me engaged and wanting to be a part of this thing we do in healthcare, this wonderful profession that found me in a lot of ways and that I've chosen to continue to be in and will continue to be in for years to come. And so I would say you know, those moments are what keeps me energized.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's it, man. That sense of purpose is amazing. You can't put a price tag on that and that's what really drives most HTM professionals, because what we do, I mean it's life-saving work and we pay a contributing part to the day-to-day ongoings in the hospital, in the healthcare ecosystem as a whole, for that matter. So you hit it on the head when you have that purpose, that makes everything. It stops becoming work and it becomes a purpose, like I like to tell people sometimes. It becomes your calling for you to do the things you're doing. And I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you, justin, man. You have to come back again, man, I really enjoyed it. I mean, you have a very inspiring story and I'm more than sure it's going to benefit someone, because it definitely benefited me today, and I thank you for your time and you're welcome back anytime you want, brother, sure it's going to benefit someone because it definitely benefited me today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for your time and you're welcome back anytime you want, brother. Hey man, Thank you so much, Brian, for the invite. I welcome the opportunity to come back and talk about whatever topics that we need to.
Speaker 1:That's a wrap for today's episode of HTM on the Line. Justin Smith's journey in healthcare technology management has been nothing short of remarkable. His leadership, mentorship and dedication to both his profession and his community truly exemplify what it means to make a lasting impact. Justin's story is a powerful reminder of how we can all contribute to the better outcomes in healthcare. Thank you for joining us and, as always, stay motivated, keep learning and let's continue elevating the HTM industry together. You.
