In her time with Affinity Strategies, Maureen Sollenberger, account manager, has found a passion for making a difference in the healthcare field. While she decided the path of nurse or doctor wasn’t for her, she knew she still wanted to help others in some way.
“Working with AS allows me to use my strengths of organization, logistics and problem-solving, but still help with the improvement of patient care by supporting these medical professionals,” Sollenberger said. “We take the business side off their hands so they can go back to what they signed up to do—take care of the patients. The less paperwork and planning we can take off their plate, the more time and energy they can invest in advancements in their field and taking better care of their patients.”
As account manager for Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses (SOHN), she works with the president and board members with their goals, both short and long-term.
“This could involve planning a conference, a board meeting, coordinating content for their publications (a scientific journal and a curriculum textbook), brainstorming ways to increase membership and so much more. There is a lot of email and zoom communication going on all day, every day,” Sollenberger noted.
In her five months, she has seen how health care has adapted in a time of change in the pandemic.
“Affinity and healthcare institutions are now more equipped to change direction on a dime, as well as anticipate the many directions the field or an event can take,” Sollenberger said. “I’ve also seen great teamwork always at play within AS and between our company and our clients. It is clear we all have the same goals.”
What has stood out to her about the team at Affinity is the teamwork and the family feel in the work culture. She describes the Affinity team as professional, knowledgeable and uplifting.
“I’ve never worked at a place where the team always puts effort into seeing others around them grow and improve with them. There is no hoarding of knowledge, and everyone jumps at the opportunity to help someone out,” Sollenberger stated. “We are always up for the challenge. Whatever the group, the project, the issue … we have a group of dedicated problem solvers excited to take it on.”
It’s these qualities that will benefit healthcare organizations as we look to the future.
“I think that health care has become so corporate over the last decade that we’ve lost that personal touch of familiarity, family and good working relationships,” she said. “Affinity naturally brings that into any client we take on. With that personal feel, clients can more easily trust our abilities, see we only want them to thrive and that we are willing to do what it takes to get their goals met.”
She hopes that what Affinity offers as a company assists healthcare workers to focus on what is most important—their patients.
“I want our medical heroes to get back to what they do best and what they love doing—caring for patients and improving their specific fields. I hope that with less administrative work on their plates, that allows more time to dedicate themselves into making people feel better,” said Sollenberger.
“They also work in a field where their actions are reactive. They are tasked with the issue and patient that is right in front of them, and there is an endless list of people who need their help. Groups and industries can’t grow and improve if they are always living in the chaos. That’s where we can come in. We can help come up with goals to better these healthcare fields, and then help implement those plans and put them in action.”
She wants others to know that health care is more than the doctors and nurses we interact with.
“There are many people, groups and responsibilities involved to get things accomplished, Sollenberger said. “Each person, each group, each step in the process plays a role in the success of healthcare.”
