Blog Contribution by NIHD Member Maggie Duplantis RN, MHA, Director of Clinical Planning and Design, Houston Methodist.
Thirty-four years ago, after graduating with a BSN from SFASU, I walked into The Methodist Hospital for the first time on June 20, 1988. I was scared, anxious, and very excited to start my career as a registered nurse. The field of Design and Construction was not even part of my career path or choice. So, how did I get here? This is my story.
Pictured: Maggie Duplantis RN, MHA, Director of Clinical Planning and Design pictured at Houston Methodist Hospital - Walter Tower.
My first job was a graduate nurse on a cardiology unit in the nurse residency program. The program was six months, specifically designed for new nurses, and focused on skills necessary for caring for patients in the acute care setting. Best decision ever. I quickly perfected my nursing skills, and I advanced to leadership within a year and a half. I spent the next 20 years in leadership positions: Assistant Head Nurse, Shift Coordinator/House Supervisor, and Director of Nursing Operations. Now I could write a book–ok maybe not a book–about my experiences in all those positions! But who has time for that?
So, let's get to how I got involved in Design and Construction.
Fourteen years into my nursing career, I returned to graduate school at Texas Woman's University. Let’s be honest, I was not the best student in my undergraduate program, and I really did not want to go back to school. However, the hospital was applying for Magnet, and to receive this accreditation nursing directors needed to be master prepared. The decision was basically made for me…so here I go. I decided the Healthcare Administration route was best for me due to my years in leadership roles, and Texas Woman’s was out the back door of the hospital and convenient. In my degree plan, I took several courses in healthcare design. This is where I discovered my love for clinical design. I graduated with my MHA in 2005.
After 20 years in the clinical space and three years as the clinical liaison with our Design and Construction team, I transitioned to Design and Construction as Project Director in 2008. Today, I’m the Director of Clinical Planning and Design. What does this position entail? I engage and integrate clinical expertise into the planning and design of healthcare environments. I’m responsible for providing clinical design and operational expertise to the SVP and facility planning teams on strategic capital projects within Houston Methodist (HM). My department manages capital projects from conception to activation completion. We are the bridging liaison between HM clinical practitioners and facility planners.
Pictured: Activation team at Houston Methodist.
I know…that is a mouth full, right? Clinical activation was not even heard of in the construction world when I started in 2008. Having a clinician on your design team was also a new concept! Interestingly, this concept is still not the norm for many hospital systems. Both are very important to having a successful project. I started this position solo. I was able to create the activation role over time, and I hired activation planners with clinical backgrounds (nursing and imaging) that I have been able to mentor along the way. I feel it’s extremely important to educate and mentor my staff to be the best they can be in their role. To share my experiences, lessons learned, and any nuggets that I feel will benefit them. I am forever grateful to my mentor Sid Sanders for giving me the opportunity to share my clinical knowledge and expertise through design. He is the reason I am in this role today.
A day in the life.
A typical day for me is meetings, meetings and more meetings. Collaborating and partnering with design teams to create and design functional spaces for our clinicians and physicians. I also partner with our medical equipment planners, IT planners, art consultants, and furniture vendors as part of the design process. Although activation of a project can be years away, it is important to participate in the design and understand completion dates to better facilitate the plan for turnover. The best part, the thing I love the most, is seeing the design come to life. When all equipment, art, furniture, etc are installed and ready to turn over to the users, it is truly magical to see in real life and not just on paper!
Everything I did in my 20 years in the clinical space contributed to my success today. As a nurse, I gained a broad understanding of patient medical equipment and IT equipment. My roles as House Supervisor and Director of Nursing allowed me to understand patient flow from admission to discharge and all the stops in between. I’m able to create efficient designs from point of entry to discharge because I understand clinical operations and the process. As a Director with a small team, my clinical management roles have continued to serve me.
Believe me, if I can make this leap to Design and Construction, anyone can!
First and foremost, never stop learning. This position demands knowledge in medical equipment, IT equipment, infrastructure requirements, infection control practices, clinical operations, and much more! Ten to 15 years of clinical management experience is required. No matter if you're in acute care, ICU, ED, OR, imaging, etc, reach out to others and become an expert in your field. Earn a master’s degree. Both an RN and a master’s are required for the director role at Houston Methodist. Learn about all the medical equipment used to care for patients and get to know your equipment vendors. Pay attention to all aspects of design and construction, including facility infrastructure, IT, construction, etc. Good or bad, know what you like and dislike. Having this knowledge of all areas is vital in understanding the process of design from start to finish. Finally, join a healthcare design organization and ask to shadow this role. You’ll get more information on the daily life of an activation planner.
And don’t forget to have fun! I didn’t know where life would lead me when I first set foot in Houston Methodist all those years ago. To date, my portfolio includes over 100 projects, two new hospitals, eight emergency care centers, and eight hospital tower expansions. Words cannot describe how proud I am to work for Houston Methodist. The opportunity to utilize my clinical skills in a not-so-traditional nursing role through design was never in my career plan. Working with my fellow clinical colleagues to collectively create spaces for staff, patients, and their families has been very rewarding.
Blog Contribution by NIHD Member Maggie Duplantis RN, MHA. She is a Director of Clinical Planning and Design at Houston Methodist and can be reached at mduplantis@houstonmethodist.org.