Certified!

It took 110 hours in class, covering 8 courses, 7 exams, and 6 class projects... but I *finally* achieved my first certification! I am now an officially recognized expert in the Inpatient EHR. For my next trick, I will go through training for the Ambulatory (outpatient) record, but by all indications that training is much less intense. After I am fully certified, I will be able to become more productive in writing updates for the software, and to do some occasional travel for customer support.





Wanna hear something even cooler? Check out this article from Sharon's employer newsletter!


RETAINING EXCELLENT HIGH QUALITY EMPLOYEES
By Diane Hoellerman

Sharon Little has been with Optum Health since October, 2007. She currently lives in Beavercreek but soon will be joining her husband in Wisconsin. Sharon’s husband was a Family Practice Physician for 18 years doing patient care, teaching, and research at WSU. Recently he switched his focus by taking a position with a company that makes integrated software for medical groups and healthcare organizations.

Sharon has 3 sons ages 12, 15, and 18. The oldest, Chad, will be graduating this year and plays in a band. The middle son, Chris, is still growing at 6’2” and enjoys basketball and the youngest son is 12 and a computer whiz!

Sharon said she joined Optum because she wanted a new challenge and a new way to develop her skills as a nurse. Her hobbies are reading and hanging out with family and friends.

Sharon may be moving soon and hanging out with new friends but her Ohio OptumHealth Family remains the same. She is taking her Optum Desk to Wisconsin because she requested a transfer and it was approved. We are excited that we were able to retain Sharon as a Team Member of our Ohio Family! Join me in wishing her a safe and speedy move.




CORRECTION: Chris is now 6'3"!

Moving Forward

It's a new experience, really, to change careers, change cities... it's a brand new life!

After 22 years in the same city, 18 years at the same job, 16 years in the same house, life begins to feel a certain degree of... sameness. Sharon says I have a "fierce" intellect- my mind is always active and always driving me to learn new things. So, with her love and her support, I set out to conquer a new domain of knowledge and experience.

I think that moving forward is healthy. It's a part of life in 21st century America. How many of you reading this have relocated in the past 5-10 years? How many of your friends have departed? How many of your current friends have arrived in that time period?

As my good friend Scott Richardson once stated, "Every move involves a push, and a pull." Of course, Scott came to Ohio from Texas, and has since moved on to Georgia, along with two other friends from my former employer. But he is absolutely right. In my case, the pull was obvious- I have been a passionate advocate for deploying information technology to improve the day-to-day practice of medicine since the beginning of my career.

The push, in many ways, was more subtle. It's easy to look back at the frustrations of my former existence as family physician-educator: patients never happy when you're away teaching, student interest in family medicine declining, and the ongoing battle to generate enough revenue. Unhappy patients, unhappy bosses, unhappy students. But the number one factor by far, in the push, came down to professional stagnation. The grind of teaching the same curriculum, juggling patient care and teaching commitments, was STIFLING to creativity and intellectual drive. I faced two choices- sit back, put my brain on cruise control, and simply grind through the day-to-day demands, or move forward. So, onward and upward!

The most touching moment of the transition happened on Thanksgiving Day 2009. As we were preparing to leave town for our holiday dinner, Mom fell and broke her leg. We had to cancel the trip and take Mom to the hospital. Dad and I sat in the cafeteria, over a lunch of bland processed turkey. In spite of Mom's health, and Dad's own advancing age and diminishing memory, he told me,

"David, when a man is 45 years old, he should be able to go where he wants and do what he wants to do. If there is an opportunity for you to find a good job and you need to move, you do it."

Those are words I will never forget. My curious mind, my passionate intellect, is a gift from God- but it was passed down to me through Dad. Even in the midst of his own family crisis, he urged me to move forward.

I am enjoying my new career in every way- it is everything I imagined! And I have many people to thank- my caring and intellectual father, my loving and supportive wife, and the God of the universe who has equipped me and given me this opportunity.

The Little Family visits Madison!

Finally, this Memorial Day weekend, Sharon and all three of the boys came up to visit!

A great time was had by all!

The biggest highlight was probably the tour of the office facilities. If you haven't been here, this place is the most colorful and creative office environment you could imagine. Every building has a different theme, with art works, decorations, and props galore. The conference rooms are also themed. The boys had a blast exploring everything from the Indiana Jones tunnel, to the Subway tunnel, and even the statue of Elvis! We didn't even make it to the training center to see the Star Wars rooms (Droids and Jedi), or the three auditorium sections (Shake, Rattle, and Roll) with the Blues Brothers themselves seated outside.

The Capitol building is another Madison landmark we got to check out. It's at the very center of downtown, and it is the very highest point in the city. From the Observatory on top, you can see pretty much the entire city, including both lakes which surround the isthmus that is central Madison. Check out this cool photo: http://www.joleneplautz.com/

From there, we moved on down to State Street. This is a six-block stretch which connects downtown to the University of Wisconsin campus. Lined with restaurants, clothing stores, arts and crafts, music stores, and people! Very reminiscent of downtown Yellow Springs, and a fun trek for the whole crew.

Last but not least, we went over for dinner and fireworks at the Brat Fest! (That's Brat as in Bratwurst... not brat as in the three sons we raised!) Good food, great music, and a fun way to cap off a long weekend of getting to know our future home. We listened to a remarkable local band, Rigel. Billed as a Celtic rock band, they played a variety of styles with flair. So much talent! (And it didn't hurt that Chad was smitted by the young lady playing the fiddle.) First time I have ever seen a young lady who could play the fiddle and riverdance at the same time! Check out their music at: http://www.rigelband.com/index.php

That's all I have for now. More thoughts ahead on "Moving Forward" with my career and with life. Thanks for dropping by!