You could be involved in the supply chain of any industry. So why healthcare?
We ran across an interactive infographic about healthcare careers this week, and even though it's essentially a fancy recruitment tool aimed at future clinicians, it actually got us thinking.
Several of the people in the Z5 home office have dedicated most of their careers to the healthcare field. The rest of us have a supply chain or customer service background but made our way to healthcare. We could be working anywhere, but we're here.
Why?
Yes, obviously, there are lots and lots of people involved in the industry. According to the study linked above, about 11% of the population of Z5 Inventory's home state of Texas is employed in healthcare, and that number is comparable to the rest of the United States.
And, obviously, even if you're not directly providing care, there are plenty of opportunities to "fix" healthcare. The most recent data compiled by JAMA shows that U.S. healthcare providers are wasting as much as $1 Trillion annually. (Before you reassure yourself that supply chain is only one small fraction of that, remember that that fraction still amounts to billions of dollars.)
But the size of the industry still doesn't get to the core of the issue.
People get involved in healthcare because they want to help.
More than 65% of respondents to the Gwynedd Mercy industry survey said their motivation for entering healthcare was the personal fulfillment they'd feel knowing they made a difference in other people's lives.
There's a story that's probably not literally true, but we like the sentiment. During the space race, JFK visited NASA and spoke with an employee. When the President asked what the man did in the facility, the janitor replied that he was helping put a man on the moon.
Because you want to do right by your patients and your industry - whether you're compiling purchase orders or performing neurosurgery - we know you're part of that 70%. Because you're putting in the time to read this - educating yourself to become a more efficient, better caregiver - we know you care.
There's no bait and switch here at the end. We're not pivoting into a sales pitch. We just wanted to thank you for being as passionate about helping others as we are.
So thanks. And keep it up.