Shelly Park never dreamed she would have such an illustrious career in healthcare when she left school aged 16 and started working in the clerical field. With no qualifications, she enrolled at university as a mature-age student and studied nursing, earning a degree and then later her masters. From there, she worked her way through a variety of positions before joining Monash Health in 2005, being appointed chief executive less than two years later.
Shelly is passionate about her role and believes it is an incredible privilege to be able to provide healthcare to people who are often at their most vulnerable. She talked to The CEO Magazine about the important role Monash Health plays in caring for more than one million people and managing the $1.4 billion spent to deliver its first-rate health services in the south-east of Melbourne.
The CEO Magazine: What is the philosophy behind Monash Health’s business operations, and how are its core values instilled in 14,000-plus staff members?
Shelly: We are a values-driven organisation. We have five values that we ask every person who works with us to embody in everything they do: integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence. Wrapped around that we have a vision of exceptional care and outstanding outcomes. All these things are inherent in our strategic plan and in everything we do. The way that we instil these in staff is, first, to make sure they sit comfortably with our leadership team and staff; then, second, manage our communication channels to ensure the organisation is informed about relevant information and key messages.