My path to SEI
Early in my career, several experiences greatly impacted my path to SEI and the appreciation I developed for all professionals in the healthcare industry. I quickly learned not only do medical doctors, nurses and other clinical staff play a critical role in the care of patients, but there is a whole team behind them that play an important supporting role.
My first job in healthcare was with a medical software company where I managed the implementation of an application at hospitals across the United States and Canada. I traveled across North America working closely with clinical, ancillary and technical staff in implementing these new solutions. I was always impressed by their patient centered focus. However, during my three and a half years in this role as each hospital went live with the new software, I found myself and others managing from a command center – never meeting a patient, never seeing the end result, never truly understanding the outcome of our work.
It was not until I took a role at a local community hospital where I fully grasped the importance of the ongoing work to improve the healthcare delivery system. In March 2010 my father was taken ill. As he was treated and cared for I recognized the doctor as someone I trained a few days prior on how to electronically enter orders. It also dawned on me that the system in which she placed these orders was one that I helped build and maintain. The system included order sets to streamline and standardize the ordering process. It also included interaction checking and safety stops in addition to quickly interfacing vital information to the pharmacy and other key departments. I was proud that I played a role in providing the people who treated my dad with a system that not only increased efficiency and speed but offered enhanced safety features and improved patient care. For the first time in my career I recognized the importance and impact of my efforts.
This recognition of how impactful our work in healthcare is and how we can leave a lasting impact on our communities’ healthcare organizations dramatically impacted my understanding of how we all play a role in delivering the highest quality patient care. As my career progressed, I believed the next step was consulting but often times being a consultant means constant travel. While I wanted to broaden the impact of my work, I also realized that I did not want to travel; I did not want to be a road warrior.
Local delivery model
Fortunately, while talking with a parent at my son’s daycare, I learned about Systems Evolution, Inc. (SEI) and their local delivery model. If she or I were road warriors, our conversation would surely not have happened. I explained how I like the challenge of big project work but was not willing to travel. I expressed the importance of being able to drop my son off at daycare and put him to bed at night but at the same time, I wanted to continue to feel the impact of my work in improving the healthcare systems right here in our own communities. She couldn’t have agreed more and explained that is exactly what she does with SEI.
The local delivery model of SEI allows us to be more than just consultants. We are patients, neighbors and members of the community. We are friends, colleagues and partners on a mission to improve the healthcare system. What is truly unique about our local delivery model is that although we work directly in our own communities we have the reach back and collective value of a national organization with eight offices across the United States. We have over 250 consultants each with their own unique background and experiences available to offer support and guidance at any time.
Experience since joining SEI
Since joining SEI almost a year ago, I am continually reminded of the importance of a local delivery model. I recently ran into a friend and former colleague walking into the academic medical center of my current client. She was bringing her dad in for treatment and I was reminded yet again of how the work we do impacts many of those around us. The organizations in which we work are the same places where our children are born, our grandparents are cared for, and where we seek our own medical care. I know that with each engagement that I, along with all of my fellow SEI consultants, are delivering the very best value and playing our own unique role in improving the healthcare systems of our community.
