Day 7 | WORK

Going to college was what I was supposed to do. Its what everyone was doing.

The question wasnt Are you going to school? it was What school are you going to?.
I went to Hamline University for 1 ½ years. My major fluctuated between Business and Psychology. Both things that I had some type of interest in and things I could see myself doing. No real passion for either but on the list of majors available- they won. When I stopped going to class it was obvious to me that there wasnt a future in either of these areas for me.
I was still working at the Bingo Hall in the evenings which meant I had hours and hours of daytime television during the day. Daytime TV in the late 90s was filled with commercials for tech schools. (Tech schools are 2 year schools which offered degrees in very focused areas) After a few weeks there were two commercials that started to speak to me. One for The Medical Institute of Minnesota (MIM) and the other for Sister Rosalinds School of Massage. MIM offered degrees in Surgical Tech, Vet Tech, Radiology Tech and Medical Assisting (the one that most interested me) to name a few. How to decide?!
I called to request an information packet for each of the programs. At that time email hardly existed and a website was out of the question- we did things by phone then.
A few days later the packets arrived. I filled out the registration packets and mailed them both in. I decided that whichever school called me first would be the school that I would attend. Within a few days I heard from MIM- that was it, decision made!

Within a few months I had found passion that I didnt know existed. I was getting straight As and looked forward to the hour long commute each day to get to school. After the classes were completed I would be required to complete a 320 hour externship. In 1997 my externship began at Pediatricians for Health. It was a HealthEast clinic located in Maplewood.
Within a few weeks I was offered a full time position. Of course I had to finish my 320 hours first but was very excited to be guaranteed a job at the end of the externship.
Within the first few years I was promoted to the clinical lead and stayed in that position for 8 years.

In 2003 the clinics decided to pursue an EHR (Electronic Health Record). I was asked to sit on a selection committee and in 2005 I left the clinic to work on the EHR Team. I would be building, training, and implementing the EHR for all of the Clinics.
Within a few years my role changed from EHR Implementation and Training Specialist to Application Administrator.
Currently I manage the EHR Team and have been in this role for the past few years.

In December I will be celebrating 15 years at HealthEast.
And to think it all started with a commercial.

Snuffys Malt Shop:   Maltmaker, cleaned tables, hostess, waitress. Most of my friends worked here. I loved this job. Loved the people, loved the hours, loved the paychecks.

Pot O Gold Bingo:  Concession Stand worker. My dad owned the concession stand at Pot O Gold. Eventually that branched out to Knights of Columbus in Roseville and a Bingo Hall in Newport. Patrons could still smoke indoors so the room was always filled with smoke- we sure did stink each day when we got home. It was amazing to see the same people there all of the time. This job provided hours and hours of entertainment- people watching and other stories regarding their good luck charms and rituals.


Walgreens :  Cashier. I mostly worked in cosmetics which looking back makes me giggle since I dont know much about make up. Good thing most people knew what they were looking for and didnt have many questions. At the end of every shift we had to face the aisles. This meant walking through the aisles and making sure all of the products were facing the same way and pulled to the edge of the shelf. .

HealthEast :  1997-2005 CMA, Certified Medical Assistant. Roomed patients, took patients vital signs (Blood pressure, height, weight, pulse), ran lab tests (strep tests, urine tests, blood tests), drew blood, performed urine cath procedures, assisted with sutures, suture removals, gave injections, managed staff schedules, responded to patient complaints, and much more.
2005-current EHR Implementation and Training Specialist, Application Administrator, IT Manager- EHR Clinics. Design workflows, system design, build dictionaries, set up users, manage security, respond to operational/users needs.  Train end users on the application, implement new functionality, consult with operations on how to maximize use and what modules to implement to improve patient care.   Working in HealthCare has been inspiring.  Seeing how lives are changed because of the work that we do is breathtaking. I have found my passion and although it has come with many different job roles, I don’t see myself ever working outside of healthcare.