Tell me about yourself
I am a motivated data professional with 7+ years of clinical experience as a doctor of physical therapy. I made the transition to data analytics after discovering my favorite part of my job - data-driven decision making, data visualization, and improving technology efficiencies - were a job within themselves. This led me to seek out data specific mentorship through a company called Springboard where I honed my technical skills in SQL, tableau, and python. I also joined the Women in Data group where I’ve gained interest in Data Governance and the importance in maintaining a clean data landscape as new technologies such as AI start to pop up. I believe AI will be a powerful tool in healthcare and I would love to grow my skillset to have a seat at that table as these tools are being developed. But currently, I am looking for a job where I will continue to grow and be challenged, while still being able to utilize my knowledge in healthcare.
- talk about transitioning from paper to epic only
- talk about springboard
- talk about data governance
- talk about what you want out of a job
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced at your current job?
- Problem: I gained responsibilities as a team lead which led me to take on other tasks including training and providing on-demand resources for my co-workers. This work was given to me on top of my current work duties which initially led to a challenge as I figured out how to reorganize my day/time
- Action: I used clear communication with my co-workers to establish best times to reach me with questions, and set up monthly in-services to continue to provide thorough training for everyone while allowing myself more structure throughout my day. I also created reference guides for commonly asked questions to allow individuals the opportunity to help themselves at their leisure.
- Solution: By setting the expectation of when and how I was going to best help the others on my team, I was able to maintain effective balance of my own job responsibilites and the new responsibilities of a team lead.
Describe a time when you failed
- While I haven’t experienced any major failures, there are times when projects I’ve worked on haven’t unfolded in the way I expected.
- Problem: During a data analysis focused on student retention, I was tasked with finding variables focused on reducing the dropout rate of students. The current dropout rate was about 39% and the goal was to find 3 key groups to target to assist with reducing the dropout rate. I began the analysis with the assumption that these were ethically sound barriers that could be improved by allocating resources to select groups to better improve their graduation rates. However, upon presenting my initial findings to my mentor, he pointed that I missed that results also showed the potential for fraud, which is something I hadn’t considered when analyzing the data.
- Action: I had originally focused my data analysis on variables that showed a strong correlation toward dropout rate. However, with fraudulent enrollment in mind, I also analyzed the dropout rate in comparison to other factors that are likely to be seen in fraud including curricular units enrolled. This allowed me to more clearly see that there was a subset outliers that were actually meaningful data
- Solution: By analyzing the data through a different lens I was able to detect that near 10% of dropouts were likely enrollments for fraudulent purposes, though further investigation was required. This experience was a great reminder that outliers need to be carefully considered before disregarding and that looking at the data from a different viewpoint can help tell the whole story. I am more cognizant of these things now in my current projects.
- “this was a really good real world example that the data doesn’t always give you the story you are intending to see”
If you could do anything for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would be a professional student - Currently I am interested in strengthening my ability to code in python. I love learning and acquiring new skills, which is why I decided to transition into IT and data analytics. I need a job that continues to challenge me to grow my knowledge and skillset
How do you measure the impact you have on a team?
- I measure my impact on my current team by our internal performance metrics, which are productivity standards & how late individuals are staying at clinic.
- Problem: in my current position as a team lead, one of my job duties is to help individuals improve their efficiency and reduce the amount of ‘extra’ time spent on documentation. Currently, many of our older, less tech savy employees are spending time off and weekends finishing job duties that should be able to be finished during the work day, some people working 60-70 hour weeks when they are only in clinic 40 hours a week. This is driving down our employee performance metrics measured by the hospital because employees are experiencing burnout as a result.
- Action: To assist with improving I created training modules, in-services, and 1:1 mentoring sessions to help individuals become more skilled at using Epic to improve their workflow and reduce their redundancies
- Solution: With that said, I measure my impact and the impacts of the programs I have created by the clinic’s productivity and fiscal health. This past year, my clinic had the highest profitability over the last financial cycle out of 12 clinics. Due to it’s success I was tasked with traveling to other clinics to assist in the same manner.
Tell me about a time something did not work out the way you had planned
- Early in my data analytics journey, I was tasked with finding a dataset for my first capstone. Due to my continued interest in healthcare, I wanted to ensure I was analyzing health specific data. I chose a data set about Heart Disease that seemed to have a good mix of categorical and numerical data to analyze. I was interested in the influence of modifiable vs non-modifiable risk factors in those that have experienced a heart attack. Excited to get started, I created my HDEIP framework and jumped right in. As I began my investigative analysis of many variables, I was not getting the results i intented. Ex: There were high levels of risk being shown to low risk age groups (those in their 20-30’s). I finally realized the the data was being skewed by the number of responses per age group. And had I started at a more macro level analysis this would have been easily seen. This, of course, was a rookie mistake.
- Action: I ended up using the average for each modifiable and non-modifiable risk factor to reduce the level of bias in each age group and create a more level playing ground. Though many hours were wasted assuming I was getting accurate results when I was not.
- Solution: Even though I had created a HDEIP framework to analyze my problem, I realized I had jumped to micro analysis too quickly, missing a big component of my macro analysis. This taught me to slow down and assess the data from a birds eye view before jumping right into analysis I am most interested in. It also reminded me that a bit of common sense when analyzing data goes a long way. I have remembered this lesson and applied a more structured approach, with much better success, to my other projects.
How do you handle a difficult situation with your supervisor?
- Luckily my supervisor and I have a great relationship, however a difficult situation I encountered over this past year had to do with internal growth
- Problem: I was looking to grow into a different, preferably health-tech role which would mean leaving my current department
- Action: I set up meetings with my supervisor and advocated for my technology skillset and how I felt I could better the team by moving into a more technology focused role. It took multiple meetings with my direct supervisor and 2 meetings with my mangager, my supervisor’s boss, to be heard. I came up with a specific action plan, including the predicted productivity improvements of my clinic that would occur by transitioning into an Epic SuperUser role would benefit the company.
- Solution: After a few months of discussion, I was finally given the green light to assist with Epic and documentation efficiency not only at my clinic but at other clinics in the hospital system. This was partly due to me consistently having the highest productivity standards compared to others in the my current role, but also due to my advocating for myself in a professional and respectable manner. When dealing with situations I always try to meet the person where they are, appealing to their interests within the company while advocating how the opportunity I desire will best help them and the company
Tell me about how you have worked effectively under pressure.
- I grew up a competitive gymnast with the mentality that ‘pressure makes diamonds’. My professional experience has proved similar.
- When I was working as a clinical physical therapist, I was treating an individual who had jsut had a total knee replacement. I saw them for their first visit on Monday, which went well, and then they had their second appt schedueld with me on Friday. When I was doing an analysis of their first party data in Epic before their second follow up session I noticed they had visited Urgent care reporting increased pain in their knee. Based on the documentation it looked like urgent care ran a few tests and ultimately told the patient that her pain was normal since she had started physical therapy that week and sent her home. When the patient arrived to see me on Friday, I very quickly knew this diagnosis was incorrect. I was put in the difficult situation of advocating for my patient despite her having been cleared by other medically trained providers. Her knee was swollen, red, and had decreased from about 100deg to motion to 30deg. These were all clear signs of infection.
- Action: I hand wrote (yes, medicine can be very advanced) SBAR note - standing for situation, behavior, action, result - for her to take to urgent care with her. I clearly documented my findings, and attached my business card to the note stating that I was concerned about an infection or blood clot.
- Result: In the end, urgent care ran further testing based on my recommendations and found that her knee had turned septic - a deadly infection that could have spread to her blood stream if not found quickly. The patient was back in surgery by the next morning and was hospitalized for infection control. / The morale of the story is that it’s a lot easier to just trust someone else’s analysis of something, especially if you know know or think they have more experience than you. However, we are all human and sometimes counting a data point as an outlier instead of a red flag can lead you to miss the bigger picture. When working under pressure it’s important to trust your gut and the data, while acting swiftly and cohesively to cover all bases.
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker?
- Luckily i have not had a true conflict with a coworker, but there are times I have had differing opinions than a coworker.
- Problem For example, I complete thorough data analysis before meeting with clients, while some of my other coworkers do things more on the fly. This can lead to them missing important data or performing a course of action that is not in alignment with previously set goals.
- Action: When sharing clients with these coworkers, I have learned clear communication is necessary to ensure we are on the same page. I am respectful of their knowledge and thought process, but be sure to voice the overall theme of the project to them with goals for future analysis based on client input. I like to give them a brief understanding of my specific findings for them to compare and contrast theirs. Depending on the person I will do this verbally or through an email, based on their desired communication.
- Result: This has allowed for more cohesive project management and resulted in improved client-analyst relationship. Overall, clear communication and thorough analysis and note taking associated with the analysis has allowed me to prevent conflicts from arising and ensure effective teamwork.
What can you bring to this job/ what are your strengths
[change this to include actual specific technical skills: data visualization, data storytelling, data manipulation, statistics etc ; then can add in some soft skills]
My greatest strengths are that I am a quick learner and take well to corrective criticism. This has allowed me to grow strong skillsets in data visualization, SQL, and data-specific python. Obtaining my doctorate and my ability to grow my technical skills while working full time both speak to the strength of my work ethic. I am used to applying complex concepts across a variety of domains from a healthcare standpoint, so I am comfortable working on many projects at once seamlessly switching between them. I have great time management and also like to think I have decent communication skills. Overall, I not only have a strong technical skillset but have gained many transferable skills through 7 years of professional experience in a healthcare domain.
Why are you interested in this position?
I am looking to work within a large company where I can make an impact. I love that [your company] places the patient at the top of the pyramid. I recognize how important effective data analysis to operational management and securing successful funding due to your nonprofit status. As someone that has first hand knowledge of patient care within WakeMed, I have a better understanding than most how data can drive positive impacts. I am looking for a company that will continue to challenge my growth while providing a team environment to support patient outcomes.
What are your weaknesses?
“One area I’m working on is improving my ability to accurately estimate how long a project or specific task will take. During my data analytics course, I often found myself underestimating time—thinking something would take 30 minutes, only to still be working on it two hours later. I understand that accurate time estimation is a skill that comes with experience, but I’m actively improving by tracking how long similar tasks take me, adding buffer time, and breaking projects into smaller milestones. This has helped me provide more realistic timelines to those I’m working with, ensuring better project planning and expectation management.”
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
- The accomplishment I am most proud of is my transition from clinical physical therapist to data analyst.
- Problem: Despite having to obtain a doctorate to practice PT, there is limited growth in my previous field. As someone who is passionate about learning and continuing to challenge myself, I started to feel like this wasn’t a long term career for me.
- Action: This led me to seek out other avenues of growth, first through creating my own business, an online physical therapy platform, All About Ortho. I planned, filmed, and edited 2-3 online rehabilitation programs for each body part, resulting in a total of 15 comprehensive programs. I built the website and began marketing, only to realize the workload of being able to manage an online business while working full time was going to quickly lead to burnout. That led me to seek out other avenues that I had enjoyed through this side project, coding and data analytics.
- Solution: I enrolled in a program that would allow me to quickly grow my technical skillset through mentorship and project based learning. Allowing me to be ‘okay’ with transitioning from a career that took 7 years of school to obtain into a career that I am passionate about and know will challenge me to continue to learn and grow.
what are 3 words that people have used to describe you/ your projects
organized
proactive
focused
I love having a system in place to manage all of my tasks. this helps to create a solid workflow and ensure that I am not missing details, deadlines, or getting off track
I also like to be ahead of the curve when it comes to mitigating risks and problems. a personal example of this is that I have 2 weeks of breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepped and frozen for when our little one comes. at work that usually looks like prepping my day ahead of patient care and ensuring all authorization and documentation is up to date
I also am good at setting boundaries to focus on the task at hand, especially if there is a time crunch. When many of my coworkers have to take their notes home to complete, my ability to focus and streamline my tasks allows me to complete my documetnation that day in a timely manner. these are all skills that I found highly transferable when working on data specific projects. having a system of analysis to ensure I am viewing the data first from a macro to a micro lens, proactively cleaning/sorting/binning the data to assist with effective data exploration, and maintaining a focused approach to the project allowed me to be clean and efficient with my data visualizations throughout my course.
what are you going to improve/work on while at this company
[pick a skill set that is not job necessary that you want to continue to grow]
