Profiles in Telehealth: Jen Thompson, Senior Clinical Recruiter
Get to know our Senior Clinical Recruiter, Jen Thompson!
What is your role at Wheel?
I'm a senior clinical recruiter at Wheel. I have the opportunity to speak with and learn about clinicians who are interested in joining Wheel and help determine if they would be a good fit for our clinical team. I love this role because I get to connect with clinicians on a daily basis.
I enjoy hearing about their clinical journey, including what they enjoy about treating patients, but also what pain points they've encountered in traditional brick-and-mortar practices. I also get to be an initial contact at Wheel! I help navigate clinicians to understand what is Wheel and how we work.
What's your personal and professional story?
Prior to Wheel, I was a Physician Assistant with eight years of experience in emergency medicine and two years of experience in plastics and reconstructive surgery. I love practicing medicine, but after giving birth to my son and working all throughout the pandemic, I found that my career no longer suited what I wanted in life. I didn't want to keep saying goodnight to my son over Facetime while wearing a mask because he was starting to know me as just a set of eyes. I didn't want to miss out on weekends and holidays, especially as he got older. I wanted more flexibility in my life, so I made a huge transition to tech recruiting at Google, where I learned to love recruiting!
On a personal level, I was born in the Philippines and have lived in California, Minnesota, Nevada, and Texas, although I call Cali and Texas my home! I currently live in Austin, Texas, where I get to enjoy lots of time outdoors with my husband and our kids, Travis, who is 2 years old, and Torrance, who is 9 months old. We also love to travel! Our travel has really changed with our two small kids, but it definitely hasn't stopped!
Why did you join Wheel?
I joined Wheel because it's the perfect intersection of both sides of my career - medicine and recruitment. Having been a clinician myself, I have a unique understanding of the roles that I recruit for and the clinicians that I speak with. It's surprised me how many team members at Wheel are also ex-clinicians! I think that is so important because in order to change the healthcare landscape, you need people who have been in the trenches of healthcare.
What’s your favorite Wheel moment?
I've had so many memorable moments at Wheel since I joined, but what stands out to me most are my conversations with clinicians. I hear so many clinicians wanting to transition their careers because they want to spend more time with their families and this resonates so deeply with me. I've had multiple conversations with clinician moms and dads who are struggling to be fully present in their personal lives because they're so consumed by their professional lives. I know that life because I've lived it too. I've made deep connections with some of our clinician moms and dads, but what's even better is that I get to help them navigate their careers so that they can have work-life balance. The impact on clinicians' lives and the opportunity to show them an alternate path - that's what's most memorable to me.
What do you think the future of healthcare holds?
I think that the future of healthcare is largely virtual. Access to care for rural populations is paramount. When I was doing my clinical rotations in rural towns, I remember having to ask elderly and disabled patients to see specialists who were often in bigger cities several hours away. Now, patients can see specialists from the comfort of their own homes! Virtual care is removing barriers for patients now and in the future.
Fun fact?
I've visited 23 countries! I've lived in China for a month, failed a moped driving test in Italy, got married in Mexico, and got bitten by monkeys in Thailand. Hopefully many more adventures to come!
Interested in joining our team? Check out the latest career opportunities with Wheel!
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