Patricia Pichardo on what introduced her to HealthSherpa, her ardour for activism and social affect, and what her typical day seems like – HealthSherpa Weblog

By Sivan Philo

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HealthSherpa strongly believes in creating inclusive, equitable areas, which construct belief, respect and a way of belonging which can be vital to our tradition and work. We’re excited to function our colleagues and listen to extra about their experiences at HealthSherpa, from their first touchpoints all the best way as much as their tenure and development. On this publish, hear from Vice President of Product Administration Patricia Pichardo, who opens up about why she mentioned sure to HealthSherpa, her private journey to mission-driven work, and what her day-to-day seems like.

I’ve been at HealthSherpa for nearly 2 months now. There was an acquisition at my final firm, and it led to a whole lot of change; it opened my eyes to exterior alternatives. I began getting pinged loads by recruiters and there have been fascinating jobs opening up. I’d labored in liquor straight earlier than HealthSherpa; however earlier than that, I’d labored in a mission-driven surroundings, and I actually missed that mission connectivity. 

So once I began exploring new alternatives, what actually made HealthSherpa stand out was the mission, and the chance to do what I do professionally to usher some good into the world.

Personally, when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, I discovered myself advocating for Puerto Ricans within the diaspora – it actually wakened one thing within me. With mates and different volunteers, we had been ready to take action a lot – we helped folks get out of the Island, helped feed kids who had been going with out meals, helped folks get entry to primary wants. 

After this expertise, I began serious about different points that weren’t essentially straight impacting one thing that I used to be near. So when Sarah (Ahn, Senior Recruiter) reached out to me about this function at HealthSherpa, it felt like a complete match for me. How would I get higher if I acquired sick, and I didn’t have ample insurance coverage? That could be a actual challenge, an actual downside. And HealthSherpa is fixing it – and it’s a worthwhile firm, with a dedication to variety, fairness and inclusion. It was a complete no-brainer to say sure to speak about this function.

There have been a couple of issues that stood out to me:

• The human contact. I’d labored with good recruiters earlier than, however at HealthSherpa, it wasn’t simply the recruiter. Sarah launched me to the subsequent particular person, who introduced the identical nice contact and humanity to the method. It was clear that the recruiter and the hiring supervisor shared the identical values, and that there was clear intention informing the method. 
• The candor. Sarah and all the folks on the interview staff had been very candid with me about what the true issues had been, the true wants had been, and what the precise actuality at HealthSherpa seemed like.
• The belief. The staff trusted one another in a really implicit approach. Later within the course of, I acquired to fulfill a few of my teammates, friends and direct experiences. The conversations felt natural and real with the staff as effectively. It didn’t really feel just like the staff was being evaded the method; they requested questions (and vice versa), and it confirmed me that the recruiter and hiring supervisor positioned a whole lot of belief within the staff, too – and from the conversations, it felt clear that the belief existed in each instructions.

So, not solely are they human, and candid, however they belief one another. They really feel actually comfy about one another’s positions. After I spoke to George (Chief Govt Officer), he mentioned that he didn’t must assess whether or not I’d be a great product chief – that was Cat’s (Chief Product Officer) job. He simply needed to determine whether or not I’d be a great match for the corporate on the whole, and to supply the chance to ask questions of one other co-founder who wasn’t managing this function.

I get up within the morning and work out at the least 3x/week earlier than beginning the day. After this, I sit down and have some quiet time. I spend time planning my day, establishing my conferences, and making certain that I’m arrange for achievement for the remainder of the day. I often have conferences after that – roughly 2-4hrs of conferences per day, and 2-4 hrs of quiet time, whether or not pre-planned or ad-hoc. 

It’s an important combination of collaboration, listening in, and asking the best questions and ensuring that we’re ready to make the best selections. Normally my day ends with a gathering – a 1:1 with my supervisor or a direct report, or a company-wide assembly. I’d thought that this is able to really feel odd as a result of I used to spend time on the finish of the day alone, however I’ve discovered this actually energizing. There’s additionally a lot to study – I go away the day nearly each day feeling energized and like I’m studying. I go away the times very happy.

I’ve discovered that there are issues that we take without any consideration, that aren’t as simple as they appear. Everybody is aware of about healthcare; no person goes by life with no need it, with out collaborating on this system indirectly. There may be a lot to study as a client – and it’s unusual to consider this, as a result of it’s one thing primary, regular, wanted, and important. You will get sick sooner or later, and also you will inevitably want healthcare. 

So, studying the complexities of the area is basically necessary. There are issues that you just would possibly suppose are easy and you discover out that they’re really very sophisticated. I’ve been approaching a whole lot of this with humility, and counting on the folks that I’ve been working with to assist me get on board. I 100% should depend on my teammates to organize me and maintain me up once I make errors.

I might say two issues:

• Should you’re serious about working right here, don’t suppose twice. It’s best to undoubtedly discover alternatives with us, and apply while you see one thing that might be a great match for you.
• For somebody who isn’t so positive about HealthSherpa, for no matter purpose – take into account the place you might be and the affect you make the place you might be, after which take into account the potential affect you possibly can make engaged on one thing that can assist remedy such an enormous downside. There’s nothing that feels higher than doing a job you get pleasure from, and understanding the way it will profit folks in an enormous approach.

Wish to work with Patricia and the remainder of our phenomenal staff? Click on right here to discover present openings and listen to from extra teammates at HealthSherpa!