Sara Kim
Associate Dean for Educational Quality Improvement, Academic and Regional Affairs @University of Washington - School of Medicine
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WORK HISTORY
Associate Dean for Educational Quality Improvement, Academic and Regional Affairs @University of Washington - School of Medicine
Seattle, WA, US
I was a privileged to be appointed and now serve as the inaugural Associate Dean for Educational Quality Improvement in the medical school. The position and the Educational Quality Improvement unit were created in response to the national trends and mandate towards implementing continuous quality improvement measures for improving both the medial school operations and educational programs. The outcomes-based continuous quality improvement has become an essential requirement in the accreditation of medical schools in North America.I serve as the Faculty Accreditation Lead (FAL) in relation to the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education), which is the accreditation body in North America. Being an FAL means my responsibilities include overseeing the medical school accreditation self-study process and leading continuous quality improvement. The institutional landscape at the University of Washington School of Medicine is both rich and complex: faculty, students, 5 partnering institutions in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) and over 500 sites for clinical training including more than 100 hospitals that are affiliated with the school.Partnering with key stakeholders is an important part of my work, including 13 regional and 7 Seattle-based deans, 31 departments, student leadership, and key institutional offices such as Administration and Finances, Academic Personnel and Compensation, Center for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Office of the Attorney General. As a team, we strategize on how to efficiently collect data across the five-state operations and programs, identify gaps and needs, and pilot interventions to generate improvements.Managing and negotiating workplace-conflicts in a timely and collegial manner is an integral part of my leadership role. Work on high-stake issues such as accreditation has provided a daily opportunity to apply good listening skills and engage colleagues in pursuing mutual interests.
EDUCATION
University of Washington
Ph.D. Education, Educational Technology
Scripps College
Bachelor of Arts - BA, International Relations
The George Washington University
M.A., International Affairs
ABOUT SARA KIM
Managing workplace conflicts is a skill required of healthcare professionals that the Joint Commission highlights in its Sentinel Event Alert No. 40, Behaviors That Undermine a Culture of Safety (2008). Healthcare professionals need tools and resources to navigate the often murky and challenging waters surrounding interpersonal conflicts in the workplace. I address these challenges as a teacher, inquirer and coach. Teacher: I deliver impactful training geared towards transforming workplace conflicts into learning opportunities Inquirer: I generate new knowledge through research into the causes of healthcare conflicts Coach: I guide your discovery of pivot points which enhance your leadership skills My work is inspired by my transformative personal experience with workplace conflict. About 10 years ago, I underwent an entrenched workplace-conflict that involved a senior colleague whom I had considered a mentor. After failing to resolve the conflict at the individual level, it escalated to various institutional mediation and investigatory channels that consumed my life for almost 18 months. The consequences were severe: departure from the unit I had called home, a salary withdrawal, and a reputation hit. Nothing like that event before or since has jeopardized my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. As I re-booted my career, it became clear that my less than effective dialogue skills, naiveté about the power dynamics, and assumptions about the system’s advocacy on my behalf contributed to the prolonged conflict. This awakening has spurred me on to study the origin and impact of workplace conflicts and deliver training and coaching to individuals like yourselves who may be at the epicenter of similar consuming conflicts. I consider myself your fellow sojourner. Doing this work is a humbling gift and privilege. And to be able to do this work from my current leadership position at the same institution is a near miracle.
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