Patricia Pichardo on what introduced her to HealthSherpa, her ardour for activism and social impression, and what her typical day appears to be like like

By Sivan Philo

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Right here at HealthSherpa, we strongly imagine in creating inclusive and equitable areas, which construct belief, respect and a way of belonging which are vital to our tradition and work. We’re dedicated to constructing a staff that represents the individuals who use our merchandise, as we all know that this may advance our mission of constructing healthcare reasonably priced to those that want it. 

We’re excited to characteristic our colleagues and listen to extra about their experiences at HealthSherpa, from their first touchpoints all the way in which as much as their tenure and progress on the staff. For this subsequent publish, we spoke with Patricia Pichardo, Vice President of Product Administration, who opens up about why she mentioned sure to HealthSherpa, her private journey to mission-driven work, and what her day-to-day appears to be like 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 quite a bit by recruiters and there have been fascinating jobs opening up. I’d labored in liquor immediately earlier than HealthSherpa; however earlier than that, I’d labored in a mission-driven setting, 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 awakened one thing inside me. With mates and different volunteers, we have been ready to take action a lot – we helped folks get out of the Island, helped feed youngsters who have been going with out meals, helped folks get entry to fundamental wants. 

After this expertise, I began serious about different points that weren’t essentially immediately 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 received sick, and I didn’t have sufficient insurance coverage? That may be a actual situation, an actual drawback. 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 just a few 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 following 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 the entire folks on the interview staff have been very candid with me about what the actual issues have been, the actual wants have been, and what the precise actuality at HealthSherpa regarded like.
• The belief. The staff trusted one another in a really implicit means. Later within the course of, I received to satisfy 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. Once I spoke to George (Chief Government Officer), he mentioned that he didn’t must assess whether or not I’d be product chief – that was Cat’s (Chief Product Officer) job. He simply wished to determine whether or not I’d be match for the corporate normally, 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 guaranteeing that I’m arrange for achievement for the remainder of the day. I normally 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 proper questions and ensuring that we’re ready to make the proper selections. Often 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 might 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 daily feeling energized and like I’m studying. I go away the times very happy.

I’ve discovered that there are issues that we take with no consideration, that aren’t as easy as they appear. Everybody is aware of about healthcare; no person goes by way of life with no need it, with out taking part on this system ultimately. There’s a lot to study as a client – and it’s unusual to consider this, as a result of it’s one thing fundamental, regular, wanted, and important. You will get sick in some unspecified time in the future, and also you will inevitably want healthcare. 

So, studying the complexities of the house is absolutely essential. There are issues that you just may suppose are easy and you discover out that they’re really very difficult. I’ve been approaching a whole lot of this with humility, and counting on the those who 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:

• For those who’re serious about working right here, don’t suppose twice. It’s best to undoubtedly discover alternatives with us, and apply whenever you see one thing that could possibly be match for you.
• For somebody who isn’t so certain about HealthSherpa, for no matter motive – contemplate the place you might be and the impression you’re making the place you might be, after which contemplate the potential impression you might make engaged on one thing that can assist clear up such an enormous drawback. There’s nothing that feels higher than doing a job you get pleasure from, and realizing the way it will profit folks in an enormous means.

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!