A Case Study

Here is a fictional case study I used in a decision skills presentation to a medical assistants group. The use of decision tools in this case study illustrates the value these simple tools can bring to a major life or career decision:

The Decision Tree shows Jane all of the possible decisions she may need to make and the order in which she should proceed

The Career Criteria Filter helps Jane clarify what she absolutely must have and visualize what would be ideal

The Modified Ben Franklin ledger helps Jane balance the Pros and Cons of LA and San Francisco. I left this blank. What would you add?

The Criteria Table allows Jane to compare and evaluate several potential employers

Jane is a 31-year-old medical assistant living in Los Angeles. She is married but her marriage is not working out and she has filed for divorce. She has a 4-year-old son who currently stays with his grandmother while Jane works. She will move out of the house as soon as the divorce is final. She doesn’t know where she will live; she will have enough money to buy another house if she wants to.

She is employed by a five-physician practice group in suburban Los Angeles County. The pay is average, the hours are long, the commute is difficult and there are only minimal medical benefits. Jane works on the clinical side of the office and does some administrative work but would like to grow into a full time administrative role. She wants to return to college to complete her degree and is considering graduate school. She is ambitious and would like to advance in her career and become more involved with the state medical assistants association. She also has a deep interest in the alternative medicine movement.

Jane was born and raised in LA. She likes it well enough and enjoys having family nearby. She has visited a good friend in San Francisco several times over the past few years and loves the city. She thinks that it would be exciting and stimulating to live there but she is concerned that living expenses will be too high. However, she has heard that there is a shortage of medical assistants in San Francisco and that the pay is about 10% higher. If she does move, she wants to be sure to find the right job.

Jane is ready to make some major changes in her life and her career. She understands that making these changes will require making important decisions but doesn’t know how to proceed. She figures the first thing she must do is find a new place to live. What do you think? How should Jane proceed?