administration

Author: Leon Ling | Photo: Daniel Fazio | Guest Speaker: Janet Palin

“The role of an Executive Administrative Assistant can seem like the right hand of the executives,” Janet said. The primary responsibility of her role was to help people she supported to be well-organized.

Janet Palin was an experienced Executive Administrative Assistant in Island Health; the organization provides health care services through hospitals, clinics, centers, health units, and long-term care locations on Vancouver Island. When Janet retired in 2014, she had earned 27 years of working experience in the Pharmaceutical and Medical industry.

Attending meetings, writing minutes, following up actions upon the meetings, and managing calendars for directors were daily routine for Janet’s role. It contained internal communication with managers and employees and external communication with patients’ information and job postings.

The annual planning process was the main challenge for Janet. At the end of each year, Janet turned herself into an information center to process and sort the lists of item requirements from different departments, then prioritizing the lists to help the executives making the final decisions. This process requires a careful mind to detail and multi-tasking skills.

Continuous learning is another key to become an administrative assistant. Though evolving technology enables clerical work more efficiently, it demands the operators keep up with the pace. Janet has 11 MS Office certificates, Adobe Acrobat, and other work-related program certificates on her resume. Also, attending seminars, receiving training, and communicating with peers gained her more work performance ideas.

Though many skills are required in the office, confidentiality is what Janet considers the essential quality for an Executive Administrative Assistant. As the right hand, Janet kept receiving and managing information vital to the executive but redundant for other employees. By preparing for the potential needs and providing high-quality services, Janet created a great working relationship with the executive, making her feel happy for her role.