The High Reliability podcast covers more than 80 years of history with our guest James Shoemaker, Retired LT. Colonel, USAF, and former Director of Plant Operations at Deborah Heart & Lung Center in Browns Mills, NJ.
Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1980, Jim describes how a beer party he threw for himself, when he was having difficulty finding new employment, led him to a prosperous career in healthcare facilities management. Soon after entering the profession, Jim found himself holding progressive healthcare facilities management national leadership roles, including as the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) President in 1994. In acknowledgement of his service to the discipline of healthcare facilities management, Jim was awarded the distinguished ASHE Crystal Eagle Award at last summer’s Annual Conference (2023) in Boston.
We discuss Jim’s distinguished leadership career in the military and then in healthcare facilities management, jobs that included challenges to overcome. Jim colorfully describes one of those challenges in this podcast, that of being color blind versus color ignorant, and how that distinction would impact his Air Force career. Jim talks about his experiences as a Navigator for the Air Force during the Vietnam War and some incredible stories from those days. He also talks about the people on the island of Okinawa and his early days transferring CIA operatives to Vietnam.
Throughout the podcast, Jim recounts stories and experiences from his life that are still instructive for us in 2023, including reflections on trust, empathy, and growing up.
We thank Jim for appearing with us on the High Reliability podcast. Please find the podcast, “Conversation with James Shoemaker,” here.
Introducing the Healthcare Facilities Network
HEALTHCARE FACILITIES NETWORK, The YouTube channel that focuses exclusively on healthcare facilities management.
The Healthcare Facilities Network (HFN) is a grassroots, collaborative effort initiated by Gosselin/Martin Associates to help promote the unique discipline of Healthcare Facilities Management.
Click here to subscribe to and visit the Healthcare Facilities Network.