Three Career Decisions I’m Glad I Made

I started my career as a medical technologist, working for a reference lab in Rockville, Maryland.  I knew before I graduated from college that I didn't want to be in a lab all day, but I wanted to graduate and start my life.  I stayed at the lab for only under a year. I still valued the education I received and felt my laboratory science background would be a good foundation for other positions and opportunities. 

From my med tech position, I moved on to working on cancer and other clinical trials and then installing and supporting laboratory information systems.  Both proved to be excellent fits with my medical technology background.  From there, I got my master's degree and had firmly coupled my clinical background with information technology education and experience.  I worked my way up to becoming director of information technology and CIO of GW Hospital in DC and enjoyed my location, my work (most of the time), and all that DC had to offer - except for the traffic!  Since then, I have spent my career in different leadership roles, covering many of the bases in health IT - provider setting, association management, and vendor business development.

There are three decisions I'm glad I made along the way:

1.  Getting my start in the DC area offered me so many career and life opportunities.  It allowed me to move from working in a lab to seeing new career possibilities. I worked in our nation's capital and was exposed to various cultures, ethnicities, political views, and unique experiences.  Within my own teams, I worked with people from Burma, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other areas around the globe.  We introduced each other to different ethnic foods and customs, including arranged marriages. I'm grateful for all I learned and accomplished while living in Northern Virginia and working in DC.

2.  I am proud of the network I have built.  Ever since I went to my first conference as a CIO, CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives) Fall Forum, and met some wonderful industry friends right from the start, I learned to build my network.   Getting the confidence to walk into networking events and introduce myself did not come easy for me, which is why I'll always be thankful I volunteered for the CHIME Advocacy Committee shortly thereafter. Through this committee, I met a master networker named Sharon.

Sharon ran CHIME Advocacy at the time and took me all around DC gatherings and various healthcare IT events across the country.  We would meet and discuss wanting to talk with certain people, and then she would take me by the arm and introduce me to everyone she knew (and others she just met).  She showed me how it was done and it was one of the most valuable skills I ever acquired in my career.  Learning to network and truly connect and stay connected with industry colleagues has served me well.  This is done in person at events and also virtually through LinkedIn, for example.  

My network and I rely on each other for advice, job seeking and transitions, and moral support when times get tough and stressful at work. We also enjoy simply hanging out with each other (virtually, for now) and trading stories.  We share best practices and lessons learned so we are not all re-inventing the wheel or making the same mistakes.  We recommend vendors and products to each other and refer each other for speaking or other opportunities when we know of a good fit.  My close network has been there for me during some dark and uncertain times in my career and my life, which I'll never forget.  Many are my dear friends, and I trust them immensely.

3.  I became active in my industry, not only through CHIME but other organizations, such as Georgia HIMSS, a state-based healthcare IT chapter of a larger national association, HIMSS, and others.  I served on committees and boards and while this took up a great deal of time and effort, on top of already intensely demanding roles, it was rewarding to give back to the industry groups that supported me as an up and comer.  I volunteered at events, spoke at conferences, made tough decisions for the organizations I served, and was part of creating new programs and services for members.  I still serve on the GA HIMSS board as an advisor and continue to learn from my industry colleagues.

Looking back at your career, what are the best decisions you have made?  What makes you proud and thankful?