Workforce in Planned Parenthood: Descriptive Essay

Since its inception, Planned Parenthood has always stood by its mission of “Providing comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual” (What is Planned Parenthood’s Mission Statement, 2019). On Planned Parenthood’s visitor website exists a multitude of positions the nonprofit has available to those who share the same values as the organization, and who want to be a part of its movement to advance technology, education, understanding, and research of human sexuality and all that follows it. The job postings include positions in Planned Parenthood’s medical services department, operations department, finance department, and several other necessary divisions that all work together for the success of the nonprofit organization.

Chief Medical Officer

• Location: The position of Chief Medical Officer is offered in New York, New York at Planned Parenthood’s sister location, just 2.8 miles east by way of the Upper Bridge Roadway from the original clinic in Brooklyn, New York.
• Job Summary: As part of Planned Parenthood’s Health Care team, in the Medical Services department, there is available the role of Chief Medical Officer. It is the responsibility of a CMO to maintain quality in all federations and ensure that updated, safe, and reliable medical standards are being practiced for the well-being of all patients and employees (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019). CMOS are responsible for educating themselves on new medical developments by staying up-to-date on new practices and procedures so that they can improve the overall direction of Planned Parenthood’s healthcare clinics.
• General Duties & Responsibilities: Because the Chief Medical Officer is responsible for the clinical direction of Planned Parenthood centers, they need to be able to work collaboratively with the PPFA President/CEO, EVP (Employee Value Proposition), and senior leadership of HCD (Human-centered design) on developing strategies to help the overall mission of Planned Parenthood (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019). This full-time position gathers information by traveling to different clinics, observing the clinic standards and staff, and providing input, guidance, and feedback for the betterment of each location. Chief Medical Officers also collaborate with different clinic staff and review suggested strategies, invite constructive discussions for improvement, and provide their own clinical perspective so that employees can implement positive change. Chief Medical Officers are tasked with developing strategies and policies that ensure Planned Parenthood meets its goals while maintaining appropriate medical, ethical, and health-conscious quality of care (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019).
• Supervision Given or Received: As a role of authority and quality control, Chief Medical Officers are executives who collaborate with other positions to develop the nonprofit into an even stronger organization (Top Executives: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2019). CMOS strategically collaborates with efforts across the national office to advance the health of those seeking Planned Parenthood services and improve public health outcomes. They provide leadership to PPFA medical services programs and coordinate with other teams within Planned Parenthood to provide patient-centered care across the nation to advance the population’s health status (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019).
• Working Conditions: Planned Parenthood is set in a clinical environment that claims to be built on the foundation of, “Collaboration, open communication, and mutual respect” (Search Opportunities, 2019). In a Glassdoor review posted by former Planned Parenthood employee, Leana Wen, her specific clinic (which is undisclosed) was “fun” and she enjoyed helping patients learn about reproductive health care (Planned Parenthood ‘work environment’ Reviews, 2019). However, Wen goes on to explain her primary grievance was the pay. She stated that the pay was dispropriated from the top of the company in contrast to clinic employees.
• Hazards: Hazards of being a CMO could include being exposed to unsanitary clinic conditions, unsafe medical practices within individual clinics, unethical clinic practices, being exposed to hostile or unreasonable patients or staff, and subjecting oneself to the risk of injury or illness during travels to different clinics.
• Qualifications: To fill this position, applicants must be board-certified physicians, OB/GYN, or have other primary care or public health specialties with 10 or more years of experience (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019). To be considered, applicants must have experience in a progressive leadership role that had to do with varying policies, different types of management, and supervision. This position requires applicants to actively seek up-to-date medical information, and demonstrate their understanding of what the power of authority has the capability to change.

Manager, Education Leadership

• Location: This position is offered in New York, New York at Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Health Center.
• Job Summary: Managers of Education Leadership are responsible for collaborating with different department’s evaluation and training managers to “Identify, curate, develop, and co-create various resources for affiliate education programs” (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). Guided by organizational standards as well as tried and true practices, training, toolkits, webinars, and more, this position is tasked with innovation and growth within the education infrastructure of Planned Parenthood to expand opportunities for those who want to be involved in the organization, those who are already involved in the organization, or those who seek its services.
• General Duties & Responsibilities: According to Planned Parenthood’s job listing, the duties and responsibilities of a Manager of Education Leadership include researching, developing, maintaining, and sharing information as well as educational tools and resources throughout the federation. A Manager of Education Leadership is responsible for updating and developing educational standards for sexual and reproductive health care, as well as working to develop a Planned Parenthood Educator Certification program, which has the goal of training associates to spread knowledge Planned Parenthood has to offer (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). An Education Manager is expected to collaborate with external sources, partners, and field experts to collect feedback and review or investigate any potential or already existing education tools, information, and resources. Partners and external sources include, but are not limited to, the more than 120 organizations across Africa and Latin America that partner with Planned Parenthood’s domestic organizations to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care and education. Collaboration with field experts could be with a Chief Medical Officer who is equally responsible for discovering new information and unique ways to optimally share it with the public.
• Supervision Given or Received: As a manager, the Education Leader reports to the Director of Education Leadership and Policy (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). In addition to the responsibilities and duties requested of a Manager of Education Leadership, managers are also expected to be ready to receive additional projects assigned by their supervisor.
• Working Conditions: In a Glassdoor post by an anonymous former Planned Parenthood employee, they stated that the clinic sees a lot of patients during the day and the environment can be fast-paced and overwhelming (“Planned Parenthood ‘work environment’ Reviews, 2019). The same former employee goes on to say that Planned Parenthood’s mission and impact are meaningful and needed and that the organization truly cares about its employees, offering a substantial amount of time off and benefits.
• Hazards: A hazard of being a Manager of Education Leadership could be the accidental spread of misinformation to the public, or unknowingly using unreliable or inappropriate platforms to spread information. According to Planned Parenthood, the position of Education Manager could require the manager to travel up to 25% of the year, which subjects the applicant to the risk of injury or illness during travels to different clinics.
• Qualifications: Applicants must have five or more years of experience in the sex education field, including curriculum development, training, and/or implementation (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). Applicants must be able to effectively practice and teach sex education and have the motivation to innovate and experiment with effective sex education. Supplementally, it helps if applicants are detail oriented and are well versed, and comfortable with collaborative work.