Her Story
About April
My journey in healthcare began in 2006, inspired by a deeply personal experience - my brothers had asthma, and we were always in and out of the hospital during certain seasons. I always had compassion for others in the hospital and saw the way different parts of the hospital flowed. I originally was going to go into medicine, but I began to learn the knowledge of hospital administration and the importance of ensuring the flow of the hospital so that patients are taken care of. That passion, coupled with the fact that technology does nothing but enhance and assist what the foundation is that is already there, is what led me to go into the field I'm in. I had some rock star mentors that saw in me, at times, what I didn't even see in myself, and they encouraged me to transition into the IT field. Coming straight out of high school, I worked in scheduling and dealt with the customer service end of the hospital. While in college, I transitioned to the emergency room, where I picked up a lot of my revenue cycle knowledge and foundation. I was able to read and assess insurance, and I transitioned into a financial counselor for the hospital, creating estimates for patients, reviewing their bills, navigating benefits, and serving as that financial counselor to advise on charitable actions if they were eligible. When our hospital prepared to transition to a new EMR system, they wanted to bring in individuals that were actually in the daily processing of the operational portion of the hospital - that's where my transition took place. I was pulled in to be a part of this special team and got certified in Epic Software as an analyst. I was able to truly spearhead building and helping navigate the build and design. I like to coin the phrase that I'm able to listen to business needs and workflows and translate them into systematic IT design to support the day-to-day of the hospital. That led to more leadership opportunities where I assisted with training and transitioned to be a consultant, working with large-scale implementations for hospitals from 300-400 beds all the way down to about 50 beds across different hospital systems in different states. Now, as a senior healthcare IT project manager, I partner with our executive leadership team, ensuring that my application team and directors are meeting their goals on the implementation side of the house as we bring EMR systems live in hospitals. What makes me different from just a traditional project manager is that I've actually been an analyst before, so I've helped build a system and have operational knowledge that allows me to advise my IT team on navigating challenges that may need to be identified early and help them put together mitigation plans.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with April
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Take the limits off. A lot of times, before we even try, we limit ourselves. Take those limits off. I also want to speak to another piece of advice that's meaningful to me: bloom in the place that you're planted. When I was younger in the emergency room, which can be a revolving door sometimes, I became a sponge and soaked up so much information. I naturally didn't seek out mentors - I had leadership that became my mentors because they saw my willingness to just learn and my desire to grow and make an impact. The reason I say bloom in the place that you're planted is because there's so much to learn from others as you continue to grow, and it's always important for your roots to be deep yourself. If you bloom in the place that you're planted, you're able to assist others after you grow. What is the opportunity that's given to you at the moment?
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Bloom in the place that you're planted. The reason I say this is because there's so much to learn from others as you continue to grow. It's always important for your roots to be deep yourself. If you bloom in the place that you're planted, you're able to assist others when you grow, after you grow. I take mentorship very near and dear to my heart, so this advice is something I feel strongly about. When I was younger working in the emergency room, which can be a revolving door sometimes, I became a sponge and soaked up so much information. I naturally didn't seek out mentors - I had leadership that became my mentors because they saw my willingness to just learn and my desire to grow and make an impact. What is the opportunity that's given to you at the moment? Embrace it fully.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would like to navigate into the AI realm when it comes to healthcare. I still want to be in healthcare because I want to continue to partner with bringing in programs that will assist our physicians and our clinical and revenue cycle staff to take better care of our patients. I would like to partner and couple AI advancements with the principles and foundations that we already have today to ensure that we are advancing the field for our patients and caregivers. That's where I see myself, hopefully in a year. I'm looking into AI certifications right now as my next step.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I have a servant's heart - that's what makes a strong leader to me. I'm about encouragement and empowerment amongst women as they progress in leadership. My passion for patients and ensuring they are taken care of has always driven me. This started when I was younger and my brothers had asthma - we were always in and out of the hospital, and I always had compassion for others that were in the hospital. I saw the importance of hospital administration in ensuring the flow of the hospital so that patients are taken care of. That passion, coupled with the fact that technology enhances and assists what the foundation is that is already there, is what led me to this field. I want to continue to partner with bringing in programs that will assist our physicians and clinical and revenue cycle staff to take better care of our patients and caregivers.
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