Rachel Fitts
Minneapolis,MN
Summary
Healthcare operations and project management professional with more than six years of experience leading strategic initiatives, driving operational improvement, and managing cross-functional projects within academic medicine. Trusted partner to executive leadership with a proven ability to build scalable processes, improve organizational effectiveness, and advance clinical, research, and educational priorities through collaborative leadership and data-informed decision-making.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Assistant to the Department Chair
University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Surgery
08.2023 - Current
- Provide executive-level support to departmental leadership by managing sensitive communications and prioritizing high-level administrative operations.
- Drive department-wide initiatives to boost operational efficiency and advance the clinical research and educational objectives of the surgery department.
- Oversee intricate cross-functional projects, including improvements to faculty onboarding, departmental intranet development, and quality enhancement initiatives.
- Function as a trusted resource for faculty and staff, fostering collaboration and addressing obstacles to promote strategic priorities.
- Develop comprehensive tools and documentation to elevate communication consistency and operational efficiency across the department.
Residency Coordinator & Medical Student Coordinator
University of Minnesota Physicians
12.2021 - 08.2023
- Directed comprehensive educational programs for residents, MetroPAP, and RPAP longitudinal learners, along with interns and traditional medical student clerkships at more than 30 clinical sites.
- Partnered with physician and clinic leadership to strategically design clinic schedules for residents, balancing educational priorities with operational effectiveness, thereby optimizing provider resources and patient access.
- Led an eight-week scheduling enhancement project in conjunction with IT, restoring scheduling integrity and safeguarding patient access post-system failure.
Pediatric Community Referral Specialist
University of Minnesota Physicians
05.2021 - 12.2021
- Expanded role into a specialized team by demonstrating the critical need during pilot assignment.
- Established workflows and standard operating procedures that formed the core of the referral function.
- Optimized referral operations during HealthEast-Fairview integration, maintaining seamless access and scheduling.
Education
Master of Healthcare Administration -
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
B.S. Biology -
University of North Dakota
Skills
- Strategic Initiatives
- Program Management
- Executive Operations
- Process Improvement
- Change Management
- Faculty Affairs
- Healthcare Administration
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Team Leadership
Accomplishments
- Led the redesign of the Department of Surgery's Grand Rounds speaker management process, establishing standardized workflows, clear ownership, and accountability for speaker recruitment, logistics, and execution.
- Developed a comprehensive faculty onboarding framework by identifying process gaps, coordinating cross-department stakeholders, and designing standardized resources to improve the new faculty experience.
- Served as the administrative liaison for a department-wide surgical quality improvement initiative, partnering with the Fairview Quality Improvement team to develop physician performance reports and support sustained pre-operative antibiotic compliance rates exceeding 85%.
- Spearheaded the development of a centralized Department of Surgery intranet, designing an internal resource hub to improve communication, streamline access to administrative resources, and enhance operational efficiency.
- Founded the Medical School Executive Assistant Network, creating a collaborative forum that strengthened communication, resource sharing, and professional development among executive assistants across departments.
- Directed an eight-week Epic scheduling remediation initiative in partnership with Information Technology, restoring scheduling accuracy and protecting patient access following a clinic-wide system failure.
- Created the operational workflows for a new Pediatric Community Referral Specialist role, establishing processes that became the foundation for a permanent program and subsequent team expansion at M Health Fairview.
Timeline
Executive Assistant to the Department Chair
University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Surgery
08.2023 - Current
Residency Coordinator & Medical Student Coordinator
University of Minnesota Physicians
12.2021 - 08.2023
Pediatric Community Referral Specialist
University of Minnesota Physicians
05.2021 - 12.2021
Master of Healthcare Administration -
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
B.S. Biology -
University of North Dakota