Meet Dr. Brittaney Belyeu of Forward

Meet Dr. Brittaney Belyeu of Forward Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Forward, and published on January 11, 2019. Go to Forwards page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.Forward is the new approach to primary care, offering customized plans to help you control the future of yur health. Today, we sit down with Dr. Brittaney Belyeu to hear her take on tech-enabled, member-centered healthcare.Dr. Brittaney Belyeu our newest physician at our Los Angeles location at The Americana in Glendale received her medical degree from UCLA and completed residency training in Internal Medicine, with an emphasis on Primary Care, at the University of Washington. She values building a strong therapeutic alliance with members and using that as a foundation to help members move toward optimizing their health.What first drew you to practice medicine?As a child, I watched my mother suffer from widespread pain and fatigue as she searched for answers from her doctors for what was going on. She also dealt with the stress of work and caring for our family. Seeing her deal with these trials, I began to recognize the importance of a physician in improving a persons quality of life, which is ultimately connected to their ability to care for themself and their family.What areas of interest do you have as a physician?I am interested in prevention and optimization of chronic disease. My other primary interest is how technology and information systems can help a member better understand their health.What do you value most in your relationships with members?Being a primary care physician often means being invited into areas of a persons life that make them feel worried and vulnerable. I value the trust that is built in establishing a therapeutic relationship with members.What is your experience with the current healthcare industry? Where would you most like to see improvements or changes?There are inefficiencies in processes and transmission of i nformation in the current healthcare industry that can lead to patient-provider miscommunication, unnecessary care, and unnecessary cost. I would like to see those inefficiencies addressed, which technology and optimization of information systems can help to facilitate. Additionally, it is important to train a workforce that is passionate about providing efficient but equitable care, particularly within the primary care field.Why did you decide to join Forward?I joined Forward because it is a new model of care that strives to address the inefficiencies that I mentioned above, while also placing high value on the member experience. This gives me the opportunity to be a part of positive change toward a better and equitable healthcare system.What are a few fun facts about you that our members might not know?I love food If I could be dropped anywhere on Earth right now, it would be into La Boqueria in Barcelona. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries tod ay is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 mio construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of ra pid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel neuschpfung/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentierung technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscrap er and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.