I will be the first one to admit that compliance-related work is not for everyone. You really have to have a love for this type of work, which means an unconditional love for the struggle that goes along with the work.
Personally, I think this true in life, no matter what you seek to do.
In this article we’ll take a look at an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work and how it affects your ability to navigate the politics of healthcare.
An Unconditional Love for the Struggle
As some can attest, I absolutely love to ski. If you were to ask my wife, she would say that I probably love it more than life itself. It’s my happy place. It’s where I feel like a kid again, out on an adventure. It’s where I feel the most alive.
Inherent to that love, though, is an unconditional love for the struggle that goes along with skiing. Skiing means being outside in the cold, so you have to be OK with that. Being outside in the cold also means you’re going to have a runny nose. Are you OK with that? And skiing means shoving your feet into ski boots. Now as much as I love to ski, I will be the first to admit that ski boots are not exactly comfortable. They’re also an awkward pain in the a** to walk around in.
These are all examples of the struggles that go along with skiing. These are also things I don’t think about because I don’t think of them as struggles. I appreciate them for what they represent to me: the opportunity to ski.
For me, compliance work is very similar.
A Love for the Struggle of Compliance Work
Deep down, you have to have an unconditional love for struggle that is part of the job, or you’ll never make it. If you can happily sift through endless pages of a final rule published in the Federal Register, you have an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work. That means you can see past the fact that the content is dry and the font is mind-numbingly minuscule.
If a new investigation is exciting to you because it seems like an interesting adventure, you have an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work. That means the tedious steps needed to document your work doesn’t bother you.
If resolving a complex issue seems like an opportunity to learn and grow, then you have an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work. That means you’re at peace with the amount of time and work it will take to resolve the matter.
If these are examples that resonate with you, then I’d say you have an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work.
Navigating the Politics of Healthcare
So how does an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work relate to navigating the politics of healthcare?
If you have such a love, then it’s a sign you are passionate about your work. When you are passionate about your work, others in the organization will see it come out in your interactions with them. (Even if they don’t understand or agree with it.)
They will see you as a trusted resource when it comes to advising them on compliance-related matters, and that gives you capital. The kindof capital that positions you to establish rapport with your leaders and build strong relationships with them as you work through a question or issue. Over time, your ability to find solutions during times of conflict will improve, as well as increase your chances of gaining buy-in to your compliance program.
Pulling it All Together
An unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work is an excellent benchmark as to whether the career choice you have made is a good fit for you long term. It also is an asset that can help you in navigating your compliance program through the politics of healthcare.
In my experience, an unconditional love for the struggle is something that must occur naturally. It can’t be forced. With that said, figuring out whether you have an unconditional love for the struggle of compliance work can only be identified over time. So how do you know?
The litmus test I’ve used professionally is money. If there were no such things as money and bills to pay, would you still perform this job? Put another way, if you won the lottery tomorrow, would you still want to do this work?
Going through this exercise will always provide you with your answer
