If you've heard about health IT consulting, you may be under the impression that you need previous experience with an EHR vendor to be qualified for the role. But in fact, positions in Nordic's Managed Services division are specifically designed so that you can jump into them with no prior health IT experience, as long as you bring a technical aptitude, love of problem-solving, team player mentality, and passion for doing what's right.
In this interview, we sat down with Vice President of Managed Services Delivery John Manzuk and Associate Analyst Kyle Knoke to discuss the kind of experience, skills, and personality needed to succeed on the Managed Services team. If you have a passion for great client service and you love to work on a team, check out our openings below.
Q: Can Managed Services consultants join Nordic straight out of college or without EHR experience?
Kyle: Absolutely. Let me illustrate that with a story. When I first connected with Nordic at a college career fair, at the time I was interested in working for an EHR vendor, and I knew Nordic was a company that you connect with after you already have experience in an EHR. But I ended up talking to a Nordic representative, and she introduced me to Managed Services.
She told me it was designed for people who didn’t necessarily have EHR experience, and that was really interesting to me. When I was looking for a job, I was looking for three things: First, a job that would challenge me. Second, a job that I didn’t dread going to when it was Sunday night or Monday morning. And third, a job where I would feel like I was making a difference. And Nordic has turned out to hit all three of those for me.
John: We designed the Managed Services role so that people without EHR experience don’t face challenges in coming on board. Part of our hiring process tests for technical aptitude, but it’s just that – aptitude, not necessarily hard skills. We want someone who can learn quickly, who believes in what we’re doing, and who works as part of the team.
Q. What kind of qualities do you think make someone successful in this role?
Kyle: I really enjoy the fast-paced, changing environment in our workplace. I like the feeling of “this is a priority right now, but in five minutes, something else will come up and there’s not much room for error.” It’s not high-stress or anxious, but there’s a level of urgency and collaboration that feels like a sports team in an important game. I love working on that team in that fluid environment.
John: I think the most important qualities are communication, follow-up, being a team player, being proactive, and being mission-driven. Like I said, technical aptitude is just one portion of the assessment that we give our teams.
I look for people who have worked in a retail or service job, because those people come with an understanding of customer service. People will often take those jobs off their resume, but I want to see them because there’s a certain grit you get out of having someone yell at you because you’re out of men’s mediums.
Q. What’s the onboarding process like for Managed Services, especially for those who don’t have prior certifications or experience?
Kyle: I started on June 6, and I was at Epic for certification on June 12. Overall I was in class for a few days and found them to be very instructive. In addition to getting trained in a particular application, you get a good overview of the healthcare industry so that you don't feel siloed in a particular area. There are homework assignments and exams but they are helpful learning tools and nothing to be scared of.
Q. What has the mentorship been like inside Nordic?
Kyle: You get mentored by someone in your similar role with more experience than you. They help you with the ins and outs of Nordic. Your team is really trying to make you as good of an analyst as they are, and we have some really, really good analysts. I feel like I learn something new every day from my team.
Q. What do you feel most excited for when you wake up on Monday morning?
Kyle: Saying good morning to everyone, saying hi to John and Vivek [Swaminathan, president of Managed Services]. I love being in an office and working collaboratively on problems for our clients. My whole team is remote, but I feel super connected to them and to the whole Managed Services team.
