The Pursuit of Quality

When making plans for the future, Logan Trento ’19 BHCL, ’20 MHA, is dreaming big. After receiving his bachelor’s in healthcare leadership from Valparaiso University, Logan immediately dove into the master of health administration program to further develop his passion for helping others through quality in healthcare.

Logan discovered the field of quality, a health administration specialty involving creative problem solving and interacting with many levels and designations within the healthcare field, while pursuing healthcare leadership as an undergraduate. He realized this field would combine his strengths in leadership and creativity, while allowing him to help others on a larger scale.

“A big part of my brain focuses on finding a lot of solutions and challenging everything. Quality forces me to be creative and constructive to navigate obstacles and discover new processes,” Logan says.

During 2020, Logan completed an internship at Northwest Health Porter, formerly Porter Regional Hospital, with the administrative quality team. He was the only administrative student intern at the hospital, and the hands-on experience was more impactful than Logan imagined it would be.

“My mentor at the hospital, Terri Gingerich, is the chief quality officer at Northwest Health Porter. Professor Genovese connected us, and I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor and preceptor,” Logan says. “I was the only intern with the quality control team, and any time something piqued my interest, she helped me find an opportunity to dive in. This ranged from helping in the Emergency Department, scrubbing in on surgeries, joining administrative meetings, and redoing the Patient Advocates PowerPoint, so new employees see my work now.”

In Valpo’s interdisciplinary master of health administration program, Logan and his peers are prepared for leadership roles in the growing and changing world of healthcare. Graduates like Logan develop the background and skills necessary to navigate the current and forthcoming ethical challenges of medicine and healthcare.

Kim Genovese, Ph.D., RN-BC, CNE, health administration program director and associate professor of nursing and health professions, taught Logan both during his undergraduate and graduate courses. “From undergraduate to the graduate program I could see Logan grow in his knowledge base of healthcare, confidence in self and formation of a leader in the classroom and his on-campus employment in the Harre Union,” Professor Genovese says. “He demonstrated working well with varied teams, excellent communication skills, and leadership in projects.

Interning at a hospital during a pandemic wasn’t easy, but Logan made the most of every minute. As a part of quality control in the hospital, Logan and Terri shadowed registrars in the emergency department. With their combined notes, they presented an action plan to the executive management team to implement at the hospital.

“If I’m going to be an administrator, I want to know everything, top to bottom. Some people overlook the aspect of how far processes can reach, so I want to make sure I understand at least the gist of every process going on,” Logan says.

There are many keys to success in health administration. Besides simply understanding healthcare processes, finding creative solutions and displaying leadership, two of Logan’s other strengths, will also support him throughout his career.

“One of my favorite classes was about process development, and one of my group projects was to develop a medical program to address the opioid crisis in veterans,” Logan says. “We created westernized medicine physical therapy and acupuncture and developed a non-invasive, non-medicated process. I did extensive physical therapy in high school, which made the project very personal, and I ended up taking the reins. It was exciting to see everyone get on board with a project that could have a real impact someday on such a serious crisis.”

“I feel so blessed for this amazing experience, both my internship and my two degrees from Valpo. The entire master of health administration program and staff want to watch us do well and succeed. I’m excited to see where my passion will take me next.”