Rachelle Johnson, ‘15
Why did you choose to come to UMR? I chose UMR because it offered the perfect combination of a high-quality health care education and a smaller student base. UMR's Health Sciences program offered a health care-centric education that allowed me to pursue a wide variety of opportunities after graduation. I also knew with a smaller student base there would be more 1:1 time with both my peers and professors, and it was important to me that I got to know the people I was going through my undergrad experience with.
What did your Capstone experience at UMR involve? My Capstone involved taking business and health care administration courses through obtaining an Applied Business Certificate and taking courses for two semesters at the University of Guam.
How did your Capstone experience prepare you for your future in what you’re currently doing? My Capstone allowed me to focus on the business side of health care, which combined with my UMR coursework gave me a holistic view of the field. I was also able to experience new cultures and see health care in a different part of the world. Both of these aspects have shaped how I work with both clinical and non-clinical health care workers around the world.
Was there a faculty member that positively impacted your time at UMR and how? There wasn't any one particular instructor that greatly impacted my time at UMR, but I felt that my student success coach, Parry, did. Parry was always willing to listen to my goals and concerns and helped me think of unique opportunities to take when I decided to pursue the business side of health care. He was very supportive, and I felt he truly cared about my success in and beyond undergrad.
What are you currently doing? I am a project manager at Epic, a health care IT company, implementing electronic medical record software at hospitals across the United States and world. I recently relocated to the United Kingdom where I am working with Northern Ireland to move all 35 of their hospitals to a single health care system, making them the first country in the world to do so.