Thanks, but NO thanks!

*image from bravo life coaching

So yesterday, I withdrew my name for consideration for the Health Data Analyst position I was recruited to apply for last week. And my reasons are: First, I'm enrolled in classes for my certification as a Health Data Analyst and I'm not willing to drop them to work full-time and for less money than I would make because I'm not certified. Second, my past job history has clearly shown that if I don't have an offer on the table within 48 hours of the last interview, than means that there's someone else this group would rather work with. And given that I'm usually offered the gig on the spot or within 24 hours of the last interview, I've got the wisdom now to walk away from situations (doubt) that have been disastrous for me in the past. And outside of a major decision maker being unavailable, I've learned from my own experiences as a "Boss" that I don't need to think about working with a person I "jive well" with at the interview. So I politely withdrew my name. Lastly, my career over the past few years has suffered from a HUGE lack of consistency and focus and now that I have it, I'm not willing to let it go. Especially considering that being a Health Data Analyst it's not by ANY means, my ultimate career goal, being a Physician with extensive training and experiences as a certified Health Data Analyst IS. Plus, I have this idea that I could create a great EHR one day, once I know what Docs value and need..............

Speaking of career focus, I met with one of my Profs after class yesterday to discuss my plans over the next year and a half, and I must say that it feels good to get some positive feedback for the first time in a LONG time. While he did initially question my decision to leave a graduate program in Health Informatics to pursue certification as a Health Data Analyst, after I explained that there were "gaps" in my knowledge base not being filled because most of my classmates were already Clinicians of some sort, he thought my decision made perfect sense. Along those same lines, the one major thing I realized in my last data gig at a major hospital a few months ago was that clinical/medical terms, how clinical environments operate, along with the nuances of patient care and patient data, is not something that should be learned "on the fly". In fact, it's the idea that most hospitals think that little to no clinical background is required or needed to code for things like medical records and EMRs/EHRs, that's the primary reason EMRs/EHRs don't function all that well in clinical environments. Put another way, not ONE of the 4 different EHRs I've used was written by ANYONE with a clinical background. Yet people wonder why they don't function all that well in clinical environments?? DUH!!!! Even with some of the data focused computer programs I've used, NONE of them were written with health data in mind. And over the long haul, I'm going to change that.........

So for now, I'm at home with the flu (in front of  a bowl of oatmeal, YUCK!!) while preparing for my first health stats exam due on Monday. I'm also feeling darn good about not only being in a good focused place where my career is concerned, I'm also excited about everything "medical" I'm learning too!