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June 30, 2020 | How my Career Path Led Me to Wellbox: Jessica Egger

This article is part of a blog series highlighting our incredible leadership team, their careers, and why they chose to work at Wellbox. Without their dedication and passion for helping chronically ill people live healthier, longer lives, we would not be where we are today.

 

The clinical team is pivotal to the success of our core goal: Create positive healthcare experiences and increase engagement by empowering people to do well, be well, and live well. Their consistent efforts in supporting, empowering, and caring for our patients, especially during these uncertain times, while giving them personalized care truly makes a difference. We could not be more thankful for them.

At the forefront of this team is Jessica Egger, Director of Clinical Services. Jessica began her career at Wellbox as a remote Care Coordinator more than two years ago. Read below to learn how her career path led her to Wellbox and what it means to her that remote care nursing allows her team to develop lasting relationships with patients.

 

What do you enjoy most about your position?

I enjoy being at the forefront of positive change. This is not just true in what I can accomplish for my team, but also what we can offer in the future for our patients. This role allows me to have a sneak peek at the possibilities Wellbox can bring.

 

What attracted you to remote care nursing?

I was never a fan of hospital nursing. I did not like that my relationship with patients was limited to 12 hours and then I never heard from them again. So, for me, the thought of remote care nursing, which focused on prevention and education, was phenomenal.

I also enjoy that our nurses can develop lasting relationships with patients. They get to know them deeply as well as get to know about their family members, pets, and vacations! This makes it easier for us to spot changes in our patients because we really do know them.

 

Can you share some former positions that you held prior to this one that you believe were vital to you earning your current position?

I think every position I have had has led me to Wellbox. From my hospital days, which helped me realize bedside nursing was not for me, to my time as an office nurse, I have learned so much. Those roles prepared me for this one, which has both clinical and administrative tasks that typically do not co-exist for most nurses.

Because of my past work history, I can work well on these tasks because I am aware that while patient care comes first — as in, of upmost importance — there is a business side to healthcare that is just as important.

To help me balance both sides, I rely on my ability to use my best judgment. It is the one skill that has played the biggest factor for me from job to job. As a nurse, you are trained to evaluate your patient within minutes. You must use your best judgment to decide what to do next. This all happens in a matter of minutes and sometimes, seconds! I have learned to trust my “gut feeling” because it rarely steers me wrong in every aspect of the job.

 

What kind of impact does personalized care have on patients?

The impact personalized care has on patients is felt in waves. Like I mentioned above, we really get to know our patients, their personal lives, their behavior patterns and more. Since we focus on each patient as an individual, we tailor our care plans to address the issues the patient is dealing with at that moment. When we follow up with them, we can compare month-to-month how they are progressing and where they still need some help or education. They are not getting a pre-printed piece of paper with generic advice; they are getting a care plan that they build with their nurse.

 

What have been some of your favorite moments within your career at Wellbox regarding care management?

I love reading the positive “wins” our patients write. We have so many wonderful nurses who make a huge difference in our patients’ lives every day.

I have my own personal stories that I think about on the difficult days. For example, I had a patient who loved my calls and would end them every month with, “Thank you and please don’t forget to call me again!” She loved knowing there was someone out there looking out for her.

 

What does Wellbox’s mission mean to you?

I have our motto as my screen saver: Do well. Be well. Live well. When you buy into those six words, your life changes! The way you treat others and the way you treat yourself is important and can make you a better human. And really, at the very basic level, that is our mission: to help you be a better human in every way.

 

As the demand for telehealth services continues to increase, what do you think these solutions could mean not only for the healthcare industry but chronically ill patients?

As scary as our current climate is, I believe that it is has helped propel telehealth to the front of the line! The ability to have chronically ill patients see their providers and receive care by using their personal computer instead of venturing out and exposing themselves to further illness has been remarkable. Also, when it comes to patients who cannot drive anymore or who live in remote areas where access to care is minimal, telehealth is going to take that out of the equation so that the people needing appointments can now be seen.

Add to that, the ability for Wellbox to help care for those patients remotely with Chronic Care Management (CCM) and now Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is HUGE. For example, with RPM, we can spot trends and alert our providers before the patient even realizes there may be an issue.

This is just the beginning of a new way to reach patients and I’m excited to see how it develops.

 

We’re grateful Jessica’s career led her to Wellbox because the care she and her team give to our patients is second-to-none. Without their dedication to ensuring each patient is given the attention they need, we wouldn’t be able to see as many positive results for both our patients and our practice partners as we do. Thank you for everything you do Jessica!

 

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