There I learned far more than I ever expected about billing, coding, benefits, and about the payer world in healthcare. I left BCBS to finish my undergrad degree. I was full-time and by full time, I mean I had 30hrs for my last two semesters. I didn’t work. I ldid school full-time both in class and online. I was given an opportunity to study abroad in Italy/Greece and was given a scholarship that paid for all but tuition. I got a pell grant in the exact amount of my tuition. My program hours were my last hours needed to complete my degree plan. I walked the stage in May, did study abroad, and got my diploma in August. It was an amazing dream come true and an experience I cherish to this day. Certainly expanded my world view and sparked my love to travel.
From there, I was accepted to grad school at Tech. I knew I was going to get an MBA but wasn’t sure what my focus would be. My intent had been law school. But I wasn’t accepted to the school I really wanted to go to which is how I ended up in the MBA program. It was my backup plan. I learned about the Healthcare program that would give me two masters: one in Business Administration and the other in Science. It was a smart approach and the director of our program was incredibly smart and accomplished. But the program was a lock step program over two years instead of the 1.5 with the normal MBA program. My plan was to work on my MBA for a year then reapply to law school. However, I needed to apply to the program in the fall to start down the lockstep path. That meant a potential delay in law school. I literally decided to apply within two days of the deadline. That’s kinda how things work for me. Big plunges generally come with little warning.
I applied to the program and was accepted. My path took another turn. My dual program pushed for obtaining a number of credentials which is how I got my green belt in six sigma. I decided I didn’t like project management as much as I thought I did and decided not to test for a PMP credential. I had friends coming out of law schools with offers that would mirror what my colleagues in my program were receiving. However law school would be another three year investment.
After my first year of the program, I decided to forgo law school altogether. The program resonated with me largely because our director understood clearly the mission of healthcare and believed we should help to make people whole. There was a purity of intention that really spoke to me that he’d present in his lectures. It caused me to do some of my own sole searching about why this career. I’ve always felt a calling on my life to help others as I’m able. I’m always going to challenge the status quo. I had parents who instilled in us to be better and do better. They’re still showing us how to grow through reading and conversations with others. They taught us how to be benevolent to our community, never forget how you got to where you are, and help others along the journey. In healthcare, I don’t provide direct patient care but my work allows others to. I have indirect impact because I work in healthcare analytics. For me the big connection came through my first experience.
As I moved further along my program and approached graduation, I knew the job search would take about six months. I’d come from workforce planning which is how I got to my career plan to begin with. I did a lot of research in the early days and it’s largely what guided my plan. In Nov before finishing my graduate work, I began applying to targeted roles. They were very specific opportunities that I felt would be good for my career. I spoke to one individual and he had a role that was coming up but hadn’t been posted. Told me to keep an eye out and that’s how I found out about the strategic analyst role with Covenant Health. My last semester was mostly night classes or online classes which would allow me to work full-time. So I applied, interviewed, got an offer and accepted. My boss there is awesome. He had a wealth of knowledge and between him and my VP, I got really sound knowledge and experience. They weren’t just bosses but mentors and what I learned from both of them was invaluable. Since I worked for a Catholic Health System, I was nominated to participate in a Spiritual formation course. Daily prayers and mass were common. The drive was we work to make people whole. We serve people directly or indirectly but the work we do matters.
I realized then and through my grad program that the patients indirectly impacted by the work I do are someone’s grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, bother, sister, mom, or dad. I thought of my own grandmother and challenges our family faced as she was diagnosed with cancer. I remembered the compassionate care she received and sometimes the not-so-compassionate care. That drove me to want to contribute to something bigger than myself. Through that experience, I fully realized my calling and while it’s not on the front lines. I’ve partnered and worked with clinicians, epidemiologists, bio statisticians, scientists, engineers, operations, and business folks. We’re all striving and driven by the goal to make people as whole as possible. I had found my tribe so to speak.
From there, I ended up at Seton Healthcare Family supporting their Clinical Integration Network or Population Health Org. Seton is part of Ascension - the largest faith-based healthcare provider in the US. My skill sets were further expanded and my team there were just amazing people. Three years later, I was given an opportunity to go back to BCBS of Texas. I had an offer coming when I got a call from a recruiter for a role with a company I’d never heard of but was definitely a unicorn. It was in wound care and the company was a DME Manufacturer with a product line in biotech. The role was something new and the org was a for-profit. All my past experience has been working with municipalities and non-profits.
We decided to take the plunge. I say we because I’d only been married a few months and while I don’t need my husbands permission, we have discussions out of respect for each other as partners. He said to me “I think we both know you’re not going to stand on the ledge and watch. We both know you’re gonna jump.” I have no regrets about that decision. My very first assignment was part of a project that would eventually evolve into the work I do today. Within a year, we’d lose our leader and begin the evolution into the product/group we are today.
The work has been challenging but it’s never been dull or boring. A little over a year ago, my company was bought out by 3M. We went from 5K employees to just about 100k. I look back and not only are we managing the analytics for a program, we’ve also taken on managing data for customer mobile applications and we’re evolving the digital blueprint of what delivering wound care. I’ve learned more about mobile applications which is something I never expected. I work with an incredible team. Doesn’t mean we don’t have challenges or struggles, but I know I’ve got a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw on.
My current team are some of the best of the best. They’re constantly asking what can we improve, how can we do it better, what are we missing? I look back and am mind blown with how much we’ve grown but I’m also keenly aware that I have much more learning to do. Overall, I’m grateful. Grateful for the journey and the turns in the path that have thrown us curveballs. I’m grateful for challenging work and the opportunity to grow, even if it’s painful.
A few weeks ago, I got my five year Crystal to celebrate my five year anniversary with my company. Hard to believe five years has gone by and while it’s good to stop and reflect, I can’t take that long of a break because there’s still plenty of work left to accomplish!
