What you see when you enter Gifford’s hospital and clinics, are front office staff, nurses and providers doing their part to make sure your health is their top priority. However, that can’t happen if not for a talented team behind the scenes making sure the staff, nurses and providers are trained on the latest technology systems. At Gifford, that department is called Clinical Informatics.
“I love our department, because we get to work with everyone in the hospital,” Clinical Informatics Manager, Careen Floyd says. “We also get to make a lot of change happen.”
The Clinical Informatics team is always involved in quality initiatives at Gifford. They are constantly working in the background to make sure the clinicians have the tools they need to properly screen and assess diseases like colorectal cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and depression.
“That key infrastructure in the Medical Record can really improve the outcome of a patient,” Floyd said.
Floyd and her team also take calls from patients if they have questions on their patient portal.
“We take them step-by-step through the portal until they find the information they’re looking for,” Floyd said. “We enjoy interacting with the patients and helping them in their moment of need.”
Floyd joined Gifford in 2015 as a Clinical Analyst. Within 18 months she was promoted to manager and currently oversees a team of three.
“I became a manager through training and the nurses and providers believing in me. Now we have our own little department that makes a big difference,” Floyd says.
Working at a larger institution farther from home, Floyd decided to leave her job and join Gifford once she had her son.
“I hadn’t had that experience of working in the community where I live,” Floyd says. “It’s pretty rewarding knowing that I get to help take care of the people I see in the community regularly.”
Working closer to home has also enabled Floyd to focus on her hobby of jewelry making. Floyd says she started making jewelry in elementary school, but got serious about it after making jewelry for herself and her bridesmaids for her wedding.
“It developed into creating pieces for friends and custom orders. I find something they appreciate and bring it to life,” Floyd says.
Floyd is self-taught and loves challenging herself with each piece. She gets a lot of encouragement from friends and colleagues.
“I enjoy thinking about what I want to make next,” Floyd says. “It brings me joy to make something, so I want to share it quickly on social media and feel the excitement of seeing the feedback.”
Once a month Careen teaches jewelry making to the residents at Strode Independent Living
Working at Gifford, Floyd was asked if she’d be willing to teach jewelry making to the residents at Strode Independent Living in Randolph Center. It was the first time she ever taught others, but thought the community there would be a perfect place to start. Now, she goes once a month with project ideas and supplies.
“Lately I show up and they tell me what they want to do, so I take their ideas and make them happen,” Floyd says. “I’m sharing skills with them not only to make them happy, but they’re using their minds and bodies in different ways.”
Over the last several years, Clinical Informatics Manager, Careen Floyd has been able to develop her career and her side hobby. She has the support of Gifford to thank for both.
“Gifford has allowed me to grow at a pace I didn’t expect and the same could be said about my jewelry,” Floyd says.
