Inspirational Black Men and Women in Medicine: Roberta Tinch of Inova Mount Vernon Hospital On 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In Medicine

An Interview With Jamie Hemmings

Make an intentional effort to bring people you love into your professional world. They may not fully understand what you do, so explaining to them what you do and why that is important to ensure the healthcare system is run efficiently will make a difference and help them acknowledge what you do.

In the United States today, black doctors are vastly underrepresented. Only 5% of physicians nationwide are black. Why is it so important to have better representation? What steps can be taken to fix this discrepancy? In this interview series, we are talking to successful black men and women in medicine about their career, their accomplishments, and how others may follow their path. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Roberta Tinch.

Roberta Tinch, MHA, FACHE, is the President of Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and Administrator of the Inova Musculoskeletal Service (MSK) Line. In her role, she oversees an acute care hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, and all of the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation services across the entire Inova Health System. She is an accomplished healthcare executive with nearly 15 years of experience leading hospital operations and employee relations while developing physician partnerships that have enhanced team engagement and the patient experience. Her depth of experience positions her well to lead an organization that offers emergency services, inpatient and outpatient surgery, diagnostics, and inpatient behavioral health.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I was born in Richmond, Virginia and both of my parents immigrated here in the 1980’s from Guyana, South America, by way of England. I’ve always been in a space where I was the only female of color in my class since fifth grade. I attended private schools for the entirety of my adolescent school career and was one of 12 individuals who graduated from my high school.

While in high school I wanted a public school experience, so my family allowed me to take classes at the local community college throughout 11th and 12th grade where I took collegiate math classes. I graduated as the valedictorian and soon after attended the University of Virginia.

My father always said, “An education is the most important thing. Don’t worry about everything else, all you must do is focus on your education”. At a young age, my parents instilled a pursuit of academic excellence within me because they were dirt poor when they left Guyana. I credit my parents for a lot of the success I have had in life because they pushed me to learn as much as I can while being comfortable in my own skin.

Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I fell into healthcare administration during my third year of college. Prior to that time, I had no idea what “healthcare administration” was much less that individuals were trained how to run a hospital. I gained my exposure through completing internships through UVA Health System and through working at the Charlottesville free clinic for a yearUpon graduation, I attended Virginia Commonwealth University where I earned a Master’s in Health Administration and then joined HCA Healthcare.

I worked with HCA Healthcare for 11 years and became a Chief Operating Officer 6 years after leaving the classroom. My sponsors always stressed the importance of having a diverse resume and skillset. I wanted to ensure that I never received a “no” to any potential opportunity I sought by ensuring my skillset and resume were so comprehensive that you no one could turn me down. I got a phone call from a recruiter that said, “Hey, your profile looks really strong. Are you interested in this role?” and that’s how I heard about Inova. Inova Health System was a great fit because of the focus on excellence clinical care, people focused culture, and transformational leadership. It all tied into my mission to give back to those in Virginia as well.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I’ve had my favorite quote in my email for about ten years and it is “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”I have always trailblazed my own path and never tried to follow someone else, as I understand we all have unique experiences. Thus far I have created my own path, with guidance from amazing mentors, and am bringing people behind me. I think it is important for people to figure out what works for them and pursue it with 100% effort.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

The most interesting experience in my career was the Aurora Theater Shooting in 2012. I was an Associate Chief Operating Officer and there were about four chiefs that were senior to myself. The CEO had just departed, the interim CEO was on vacation, and the incoming CEO was still in Texas.

Around midnight I got a text message because I was the administrator on call, so in all emergency circumstances I was the first to respond. The text message mentioned gunshots at a hospital and when I read that I was in shock. I called the hospital and they mentioned a mass shooting at a theater about five miles from our hospital. The hospital was a level two trauma center in Aurora, Colorado and we had just about 300 beds. During this time, we had also begun renovating the emergency department which meant we were down 12 beds.

As the most senior person on call, it was my decision to figure out the hospital’s response to an emergency situation. I walked into the front door of the emergency department and started to see blood on the floor. I knew immediately that we had to initiate our emergency management protocol. I walked around the corner and I saw my Chief Nursing Officer. I told her that we were going into disaster operations, and we locked down the entire hospital. I assumed the role of Incident Commanderfor the external disaster.

I didn’t ask for permission and just did what I knew needed to be done. In that moment, my priorities were the safety of patients and staff inside the hospital until we knew the context of the gunshot victims. Then I had to initiate the protocols to care for 12 trauma patients simultaneously. There were so many questions to be answered and I had to lead my team and ensure that everyone was safe.

Finally, at 11AM after having not slept for about 24 hours, I walked to the Emergency Department and saw the calm in the unit. It was a profound realization and moment of pride to see that our team lived our mission that day — “the care and improvement of human life”. When I stepped back to think about it, that day was transformational for me because I wasn’t the most senior person, but the entire team respected me, listened to my direction, and responded appropriately. Two weeks later, First Lady Michelle Obama came to the hospital and thanked us for our service.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Three character traits that have been the most instrumental to my success are being authentic, transparent and driven. What you see is what you get, so I will always be authentic, fun, loving and energetic. I often hear that I am young and it does not phase me because I am who I am. That may come across as too direct and I have to phrase what I say carefully to not offend people, but rather deliver an effective message.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. This might seem intuitive to you, but it would be helpful to articulate this expressly. Can you share three reasons with our readers why it’s really important for there to be more diversity in medicine?

First, it is important that patients and employees can have transparent conversations with their peers and providers. A diverse group of medical professionals allows that to happen across all levels.

Next, it is important in terms of training to understand different patient populations and their backgrounds. For example, the idea of thinking a certain race has a high pain threshold is a problem because then you do not treat them appropriately for what they are presenting. As healthcare professionals, it is crucial that we understand the root of issues and not have stigmas about people when we see them. Lastly there must a diverse group of leaders who can represent the various backgrounds in our community and culture. A diverse group of leaders will be advocate in areas of training, recruiting, and patient care policies.

As things stand today, what are the main barriers for black men and women to enter the medical field?

The first barrier for black men and women to enter the medical field is exposure. I grew up with my mother being a nurse and also saw surgeons taking care of my father. I knew the roles of nurses and doctors, but never had any insight into other medical careers. I didn’t know many, if any, people who did those jobs nor did I have any exposure to them. If more POC know these jobs exist then more people can pursue them. Careers in technology, radiology, laboratory science, legal counsel, advocacy, and business development are so fulfilling and rewarding.

We also need more advocacy for POC medical professionals as they develop because it could be easy to pursue a role, but if you do not have anyone advocating for you and rooting you on along the way, it can be hard. The extra tidbit of information you receive from someone advocating for you makes all the difference.Networking events, job shadowing days, and sponsorship are vitality important. . I run into people who have master’s degrees in Health Administration, but if they aren’t within the right network or attend a school that advocates for them, it can be difficult to land a job.

Currently, I am mentoring a few people and giving them tips on how to succeed in their careers. As a mentor, I am transparent and lean in to have them articulate their vision and goal for their careers. We navigate relationship nuances which can be major for them to advance in their careers. Lastly, I will help them with their resume so that it highlights their strengths versus reading like a job description.

From your perspective, can you share a few things that can be done by the community, society, or the government, to help remove those barriers?

I believe that if more leaders start participating in community days and attending job career fairs — sharing what they did to get to where they are — it will benefit a lot of people. I didn’t know about the job I currently have until my fourth year of college. We need to share our experiences and what we do in healthcare with our youth. Our experience will show them how there is room for everyone, then we will start to see these barriers break. If a child wants to do graphic design, they may automatically assume “hey there’s nothing in healthcare for me”, but there is, and the more exposure they have to people in similar careers, the better. Ensuring that everyone has access to education is a foundation for any industry.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started my career in medicine,” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

I wish someone told me sometimes your resume isn’t enough. Sometimes you need to ensure you are in the right places with the right people at the right time.

I’d have appreciated it if someone told me about the importance of networking. Your network and who knows you will help elevate your career in a variety of ways, while also allowing you to learn more as a professional.

Work-life balance is vital. I lived in Colorado for almost four years and never went skiing. I was so focused on my career only and then I got to 30 and looked at all I accomplished and thought to myself “What about my life outside of work?”.

Make an intentional effort to bring people you love into your professional world. They may not fully understand what you do, so explaining to them what you do and why that is important to ensure the healthcare system is run efficiently will make a difference and help them acknowledge what you do.

I wish someone told me to be authentic. I remember trying to be the straight-edge, white-collar, very quiet person. However, I found the most success when I was vulnerable and myself. I let people know what I am thinking which cultivated a transparent conversation and served me well. Showing up and saying “hey this is who I am and this is what I am about” is powerful. There are many people who are scared to be themselves because they are concerned about what other people think of them. Worrying about what others think of you will take away from what you can offer to enhance the organization where you work.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I’m theVice chair for the Northern Virginia Urban League and I’ve enjoyed being a part of that advocacy organization for a few years. I believe that getting a financial literacy program mandated in every school at every level would be extremely beneficial to us as a society. Tiffany Aliche “The Budgetnista” helped get legislation passed for a financial literacy program for middle school children in New Jersey. Financial literacy will carry you for the rest of your life. I would love to inspire that movement in my circles of influence and beyond.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?

I would love to have a private conversation and moment with First Lady Michelle Obama. As a healthcare administrator, I am constantly working in a fast-paced environment and am faced with different obstacles that I must overcome to ensure patients are getting the highest quality of care possible. At the same time that I am a public figure, I am a woman and mother seeking to balance of the asks and show up for everyone in my life. It can be quite difficult to keep your authentic identity while still being excellent and I believe that Michelle Obama does just that and that is one of the reasons I would love to sit down and chat with her.

How can our readers best continue to follow your work online?

I am extremely active on LinkedIn and enjoy sharing personal reflections with my audience.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.