Today we’d like to introduce you to Katelyn Armstrong.
Katelyn, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story starts with family. We are a tight-knit group, and I have an especially close relationship with my younger sister, Melissa. As I was entering into my last year of college at Mercer University in Macon, GA, Melissa was a 5th grader going through some pretty serious health issues. She had fainting spells and chronic headaches, and after several different potential diagnoses, we were told that she had a cyst on the pineal gland in her brain… scary right? Due to her age and the doctors not knowing if this was going to grow and become a larger problem, Melissa was thrown into a heavy regimen of consistent CT scans, neurology visits, and medications. Needless to say, my mom, dad, brother and I were focused on making sure Melissa got healthy. This ultimately had an impact on where I envisioned myself moving after college.
I was beyond scared for what my first steps into adulthood would be like. I didn’t have a major that was guiding me towards specific interviews or a family business that was waiting for me back home. My plan was to apply to companies that were relatively close to my home town of Chattanooga, TN because I wanted to be able to get home easily in case Melissa’s health issues worsened. Enter Atlanta.
I knew one of my college sorority sisters (who I still work with today) was happy with her job, and she told me her company was hiring. She referred me to LocumTenens.com corporate recruiting team. A couple of days after my first phone interview, I anxiously drove from Macon to Atlanta and the rest is history. I graduated on May 15th and started my first day with the company on June 1st. After being so recently involved with Melissa’s health complications, I immediately connected with the vision of healthcare that LocumTenens.com stood for. I knew that I had found a culture where not only healthcare was important but excellent customer service and generous charitable giving were at the core. Now almost five years later, I am excited to get up every morning working in a place that allows me to bridge my personal and professional passions.
Has it been a smooth road?
Some could say that I got “lucky” landing my first job at one of Atlanta’s best places to work. Yes, I would agree! But, my journey has still had its twists and turns. I began my career with LocumTenens.com in a role that allowed me to learn the industry and become accustomed to “life with a 9 to 5.” As I became more comfortable in a corporate environment, I recognized new skills within myself that I wasn’t aware I had when I began my career. Fortunately, if there are internal positions that are more suited to your personality and skill set, the environment is one in which movement within the company is supported.
Three months into the job, I interviewed for a production role, which I did not get! However, this allowed me to identify with a role in another department and a career path more suited to my talents. Six months later, another production position became available, and because my manager knew I was interested in moving from operations to production, I was encouraged to apply. This time, success!
My advice to others who are starting their career is to be attentive and stay the course on the path you see yourself reaching. I visualized myself in a production role two weeks into my job. However, I knew I had a lot to learn about the industry and what it takes to succeed in a corporate environment before I was ready, both personally and professionally, to make that change. A support system is key, especially when diving into the unknown. I continue to rely on my support system. Living on your own and being an adult can be scary. I wouldn’t be able to get through my day to day without my friends, family, and co-workers who support me daily.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
LocumTenens.com is a premier healthcare staffing agency focused on connecting hospitals and clinics to physicians and advanced practitioners to fix their staffing coverage needs. We are a full-service company for our clients and providers. Personally, I work directly with the hospitals and clinics to find their pain points with staffing and help find a creative solution to their gaps in coverage. I specialize in clinical-based surgery, so I am working with the specialties of ENT, Dermatology, Urology and Women’s Health. On a daily basis, I have conversations with hospital administration, physician recruiters, department heads, CEOs, clinical leads, etc. all to understand where my clients need staffing assistance.
We are in a multifaceted healthcare market in a time of heightened choice and competition of agencies all trying to work with the same people. My goal is to build relationships with those whom I work with. We form partnerships, and they know I have their best interests in mind when it comes to sending them resumes for potential candidates. It is important to have outreach to facilities across the nation that do not have standard patient care due to lack of staffing and burnout. Our mission at LocumTenens.com: to improve healthcare by providing patients with access to quality medical care through innovative staffing solutions.
We are currently celebrating our 25th Anniversary as a company. In our 2020 kick-off meeting, we were shown the history of our brand at LocumTenens.com. Understanding how we have grown in such a short time gave me a sense of pride. Even through extensive expansion, we continue to stick to our mission and values of bringing quality healthcare to as many people as we can.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
My best advice is to find someone you look up to and trust! I am a firm believer that a mentor is necessary in order to understand your potential growth within your organization and become better at what you do every day. Having a mentor allows you to have an outsiders’ perspective of your growth opportunities. This person can coach you and help identify and work toward future opportunities. They can help you continue chipping away at the kinks in your “business armor.”
Mentors do not necessarily need to be in your company. Although having someone that knows your industry and is able to coach you through day to day issues is invaluable, having those you connect with after office hours in a different space allows you access to a resource and a supporter. I admit I am known for calling my parents driving home from work and discussing my day. I have an extensive support system outside of work that help me troubleshoot obstacles, and guide me in decision making. My mentors helped me set the paths and expectations that I now encourage my mentees to practice.
Personally, being surrounded by people I trust has allowed me to find my way through the corporate environment, even though I have not been in the corporate game for long. I have become a sponge and soak up everything I can from my predecessors, colleagues, and leadership teams. This helps me continuously grow my business maturity. I work hard and stick to the road map that my mentors have laid out for me, and I think that has guided my success.
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