Carol Buer, MS, MBA, FACHE, Vice President of Operations, Home Health and Home Nursing
Carol Buer, MS, MBA, FACHE, can be found working at Independence Plus’ administrative office as the Vice President of Operations for Home Health and Home Nursing.
With more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration, Carol most recently worked at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital (a 340-bed community teaching hospital in Chicago) as the Vice President of Professional Services. Carol also worked as an Occupational Therapist (OT) for many years and is passionate about helping people live meaningful and productive lives, regardless of their disease processes.
We sat down with Carol to find out more about who she is and how she contributes to keeping our patients healthy at home.
Q: Why do you like working at Independence Plus?
It’s a fun place to work. There’s a lot of laughter. I also like Independence Plus’ culture of innovation and quality.
Q: What is one major difference between home care and acute care?
I used to think home care was much simpler and more predictable than acute care. Boy, was I wrong. Independence Plus is a very complex organization; every department is interrelated and working as a team is so important. This complexity creates more opportunities to make improvements and improve communication.
Q: How has your career prepared you for your work at Independence Plus?
The OT-side of me has always been concerned about the whole person. I truly care about providing the best care to each person. Independence Plus is the same way. It’s a perfect fit with where my heart is.
I also think the skills I developed in acute care are a good fit for what I’m doing at Independence Plus. These skills—process improvement, training and education, leadership development—overlap nicely with my new role.
Q: What surprised you about Independence Plus?
The diversity of our employee population. There are so many talented people who truly care about their work.
Q: Who inspires you at work?
I’ve always been inspired by the patient. They persevere and never give up, despite all of their challenges. Our patients make me feel grateful for what I have.
Q: Who inspires you outside of work?
I’m inspired by any person or writing focused on being grateful and living in the moment.
Q: Speaking of writing, what’s the last book you read?
The Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan. It was recommended to me by our Founder and CEO, Tami Müller. Marlo Morgan’s book provides an expanded awareness that everything we need is available to us.
Q: What are you most proud of?
My loving family—I have a wonderful husband and two daughters.
Professionally, I’m proud of my second Master’s degree. I received an MBA two years ago. It was a lot of work, but it’s given me the ability to look at the bigger picture and better understand the impact of every decision.
Q: What do you do to relax?
I cook and practice yoga. I also love watching the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears.