Hayley Contois spent the first half of her career working administratively as a medical assistant before transitioning to become an Epic trainer. Her family longed to move from Vermont to the western part of the United States, so in 2019, Contois started searching for Colorado-based Epic trainer roles or remote opportunities. OCHIN caught her eye, and the rest is history.

You had your eye on OCHIN for a while before getting your offer letter. Why was OCHIN the place you wanted to work?

I was really interested in what OCHIN was doing. I thought the idea of getting Epic, an electronic health record, into the hands of federally qualified health centers and giving these patients access to their health records was so useful and so important — really admirable work. Also, from a selfish perspective, I really liked the idea of getting to function in a new Epic space and see what it’s like to work with different health centers because I had been with the same health center for 12 years at that point. I really believe in Epic, and I believe in what the health centers are doing. Seeing the two paired together and what Epic can offer these health centers and these patients is pretty incredible.

Tell us about your career journey before joining OCHIN.

I have worked in healthcare for more than 20 years. I started as a medical assistant, doing administrative support. Then I became a trainer with the Epic team; I did that for several years and was certified in a couple of Epic modules. From there, I became the testing manager.

What’s a typical day like for you now at OCHIN?

As an install portfolio manager, I have a team of project managers and coordinators who are completing the implementation projects. They're working with members to build and install OCHIN Epic. My team has questions throughout the day, every day about what approach to take for something or asking for advice. On a typical day, I have a couple of one-on-ones with my staff, strategy meetings, and am available for any issues that arise.

When you’re not working, what are you up to?

Reading. Hanging out with my kids and our pets. I’m emerging in my plant caretaking era: I have one rosebush and a few house plants. We’re mostly homebodies, but we do love to go to live music events, and we’re big hockey fans.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

What we do, but also the team that I work with. I get excited to work every day, and I enjoy the problem solving and using my brain as well as hearing about the successes of my team. We try really hard to keep OCHIN’s mission, vision and values at the forefront of what we do. They’re what drives OCHIN, so we try to make sure they're what drives us as well.

What advice would you give someone else interested in a similar role?

Don’t be afraid to speak up. As a learning organization, we are always improving, changing and flexing to accommodate what we're learning and how we can move forward in a more efficient and effective manner. Use your voice.

How do you support your staff in feeling connected while working remotely?

I really try to connect with my team about things other than work. I try to learn about their personal lives and check in with them on things that I know have been going on with them or their family — trying to bridge the gap that a virtual environment can create. I want them to know they're important to me beyond the work they provide.

You are on-site with members quite often. Why do you take the time to experience go-lives in person?

I love go-lives; they energize me. Staying in touch with our members on that level really helps continue to inform the work that I do. If I'm at a go-live and see that there's a challenge or an opportunity somewhere, it can inform how we make decisions for future installs.

Do you have a particularly memorable experience from your tenure at OCHIN?

I came in afraid to speak up, not really sure what my place was because it was a new job in a new-to-me organization. We were doing a new build for a member, and I remember asking the developer why we were building it this way because I thought another way would be more efficient for the member’s work. He said he didn’t even think of my idea, but he agreed, and it led to a custom build because it really was the better way for them to be doing their work. I realized two things in that moment: My voice could matter at OCHIN, and I could make a difference. People wanted to listen; they wanted to hear what I had to say. It really shaped my time at OCHIN to know that people were receptive.

You left OCHIN for a few months before returning. What made you want to come back?

I realized when I was out in the big world that not everything was created equal, and OCHIN really was my home. I really love what we do and the purpose that we serve as well as getting to walk alongside members on the journey. I knew this was what I wanted to come back to.