MaryAnn Musumeci has been director of the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center–Bronx since 1994. As head of the center, she manages veterans’ services within a four-county region. Musumeci holds an RN from Roosevelt Hospital School of Nursing, a BS in health science from Brooklyn College, and an MA in business management from Central Michigan University. Her accolades include the New York Federal Executive Board’s Distinguished Executive of the Year, two Presidential Rank (Meritorious) awards, and now the Roger Jones Award. Since 1978, American University’s School of Public Affairs has given the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership to public servants in the federal government whose careers are marked by extraordinary effectiveness. American Today reporter Mike Unger spoke with Musumeci about her work and career at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center–Bronx. a few days before she received the Roger W. Jones Award. |
October 2, 2007
Bronx VA medical center director devoted to ailing vets
Nevin Weaver, chief management support officer, Veterans Health Administration, and MaryAnn Musumeci (Photo by Bill Petros)
MaryAnn Musumeci’s car broke down in front of a Veteran’s Affairs hospital in New York more than 35 years ago—and she hasn’t left since. Musumeci, a nurse by trade, walked into the Bronx VA building, landed a job, and worked her way up to the top. Now director of the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, she runs a facility that serves 21,000 patients annually and has a staff of more than 2,000.
Q: You direct a staff that is composed of 86 percent minorities and women. What challenges are associated with that?
A: New York City is unique in that fashion. We are the melting pot of the United States. I think you have to recognize each and every individual culture. We have numerous educational programs to ensure that all the different cultures are recognized. We have educational programs ensuring that people that work here from different parts of the world and the United States meld together in order to provide the veterans the best possible care.
Q: What do you think is the key to being an effective leader of a government agency?
A: Honesty. I never hold back anything from my staff. I try my best to let them know what’s going on. We are a centralized system. The VA is politically run by Congress, so I need to be, and I am, as honest as I possibly can be to ensure that we meet the goal, which is taking care of the patients.
Q: What’s the most satisfying aspect of your job?
A: Dealing with the veterans. That’s why I stayed in the VA 35 years. The patients are what’s most satisfying. Getting them well, serving them, and making sure that they get the treatment that I would like my father to get.
Secondly, when I can nurture the new up and coming staff, not only talk them into staying in the VA, but also teaching them and getting them through the system and helping them grow their career like someone helped me grow my career years ago. I am a nurse, I am a nurturer, that’s just my personality.
Q: You almost always bring the focus back to the veterans. What do you find so appealing about them?
A: I think that they’re unique. They’re not like regular patients. I did work for a year in a private hospital before I came to the VA. I think they’re proud that they served, whether it was in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. They all have a story to tell. Even though sometimes we serve a very underprivileged population, they’re proud of what they did. The bulk of our Vietnam vets, these guys were drafted into the service. Ninety percent didn’t want to be there yet they served, now it’s our time to serve them. They all have a story, and I love hearing their stories.
Q: What’s the most challenging aspect of your position?
A: Getting all your staff on the same wavelength. Taking care of the patients in the way you feel is necessary. The other challenge is dealing with the politicians and the various things that are coming from above. You’re actually the middle man. You take responsibility for achieving a goal whether it’s a goal you agree with or not. It’s that balance of making sure your patients are taken care of, that your staff is achieving the goals that are set out for us, and then balancing that with dealing with [individuals who] seem not to know the difference between the Department of Defense and the VA.
Q: How has the war in Iraq impacted your medical center?
A: We are getting more younger veterans to take care of. For years, the majority of the veterans were World War II vets, and they had much different personalities than our younger veterans, just based on when they grew up. They’re younger; they’re more demanding; they want things yesterday, just like my 23-year-old daughter. Right now we have over 2,000 younger vets that we’re treating from Iraq or Afghanistan. We constantly have to stay on top of retraining our staff. We have a program that basically a social worker, a nurse, some clerical support, and a patient advocate each serves one of these veterans to ensure that things are going as smoothly as they possibly can.
