Personal experience prompts path to healthcare degree

Oct. 14, 2024 ― DENTON ― Healthcare policy reform was not on the forefront of Tricia Whaley’s mind when her grandmother called her for advice a few years ago. Her grandmother was upset that the price of one of her inhalers – needed to address a chronic disease that makes it hard to breathe – had increased to an amount that she couldn’t afford. 

Whaley, who worked in the healthcare industry, eventually was able to find an affordable solution for her grandmother. But the whole experience didn’t sit well with her.  

“That was what really opened my eyes to the fact there is a much bigger problem here,” Whaley recalled. 

As a medical assistant, Whaley spent most of her time working one-on-one with patients. 

“At that point I decided it is time to expand my view from just the patient in front of me to population health and global health,” Whaley said. 

That phone call ultimately led her to Texas Woman’s University Dallas and the Health Care Administration program. For the last two years, Whaley has been a sponge for all things healthcare.  

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Whaley said. “I feel like I have the blessing of learning under really great healthcare leaders.” 

She graduates on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 with an MHA with an emphasis in global health. The global health emphasis requires an additional class and two study abroad trips, which are led during the summer by professor Sandra Murdock, DrPH. 

“The study abroad programs are the icing on the cake,” Whaley said.

Over the last two summers, Whaley has had opportunities to observe healthcare administration first hand in Sweden and Canada. In August, Whaley and a group of classmates spent eight days in Ottawa, focusing on Ontario and local Ottawa healthcare. 

“I feel that I got what I expected and then some,” Whaley said. “I expected to go on these trips, tour these facilities, learn what barriers they face and how they work around those barriers to get what they need to serve their populations. I came back with all of that, and I also came back with a cultural experience with more knowledge that I expected to get when it comes to their healthcare policies and how they navigate their barriers.”

Canada has a large indigenous population and one of the stops that made an impression on Whaley was the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health. The center creates and delivers services in a culturally sensitive way for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. 

When Whaley and her classmates arrived at the center, they participated in a smudging ceremony. Smudging, a rite that involves the burning of sacred herbs, is practiced by indigenous communities for cleansing the soul of negative thoughts. 

“It was a really beautiful cultural experience that I’ve never gone through before,” Whaley said. 

Another visit that stood out to Whaley was the Oasis Program at the Sandy Hill Community Center. This program provides harm-reduction based health for people who use drugs and face obstacles to their health and recovery.

“It was a major eye-opener for all of us,” Whaley said. “We were talking about it the whole week we were there. It opened our eyes to a new way. A new opportunity of ‘well, let’s not look at it like that.’ You have to separate the behavior from the person.” 

The main takeaway for Whaley from her trip up north was health administrators’ breadth of responsibilities and how they meet the needs of specific populations that come through their doors. 

“You have to be open enough to know when there is a population that needs something that other populations don’t necessarily need, and they also have to know how to provide for that population and if you don’t, you have to liaise with a site that does,” Whaley said.   

After graduation, Whaley hopes to impact people like her grandmother, who was a veteran with the United States Air Force. 

“The difference I would like to make is to make healthcare accessible for veterans,” Whaley said.