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New Hope - Solebury + Denise Napier · AccessCo Leaders Career Conversations

• Ilyne Deliquina: Hello and welcome back to AccessCo Leaders Career Conversations. I'm Ilyne I get to host this session with our students from New Hope-Solebury and our incredible guest, Denise Napier, who serves as the CEO of Vital Gain Healthcare Consulting. Welcome back, Denise. It's good to see you. Denise Napier: Same here, thank you so much. Ilyne Deliquina: Excellent. Denise, can you share with our students what is Vital Gains? What are you guys doing there? Denise Napier: So it really is to help providers, and when I say providers, it's doctors and as well as health insurance companies, increase their revenue, grow, ⁓ and identify savings so that they can continue to exist in this crazy, chaotic ⁓ healthcare Ilyne Deliquina: So it sounds like it's a very business ⁓ based kind of model, but tell us a little bit about your healthcare background and why you would start a company like this. Denise Napier: Thank Sure. So I'm a registered nurse both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I've been that for many, many years. I used to work primarily in dialysis at the hospitals and I had wanted to really do something different and explored an opportunity in managed care. And so I've remained in managed care for over 25 years and doing nursing on the side as well for many, years. So I didn't want to lose those skills. it got to a point where I everything I really wanted to do at the insurance company. ⁓ And just wanted to go out on my own because having the business on my own, actually I'm busier now than ever, ⁓ but get to pick and choose who I want to work with. ⁓ And get to ⁓ select hours that I want to work during the Ilyne Deliquina: love hearing that and ladies from New Hope Solebury she gets to pick and choose who she hangs out with during her days and she chose you guys this morning and we'll get a chance for you guys to interview her but before then tell us a little bit where did you grow up where are you located now and what kept you busy in those in middle school and high school time frame? Denise Napier: Yeah, so I grew up in West Philadelphia, a section called Overbook Park. I actually, at the age of 12, started volunteering at a nursing home. And my mother had worked there and wanted to keep me off the streets. So ⁓ I had go to the nursing home and work there. ⁓ But it a great opportunity. That's what really led me to ⁓ want to a nurse. And so through school and through I continued to work there. on the weekends and on my days off. ⁓ then even when I went into nursing school, I continued to work there because they really taught me a lot. So ⁓ kept busy doing that. And then I was involved in sports ⁓ also in theater. Ilyne Deliquina: Okay, so I was just gonna say you've kind of paved the way constantly, just with that focus of being a nurse, but you did do other things. And then now even in your career, you've built a business and you're combining your passion of being a nurse plus the business side, that's amazing. Let's see, when you were in sports, in middle school and high school, were you the team captain? Were you leading? What positions were you playing? Denise Napier: No, I actually was shortstop at ⁓ and I was not one of the VIP right? But I it because I enjoyed having that teamwork and making some friends. And one of the things that I learned when I was playing sports is that you can't do it alone. And I think that that's what led me into management ⁓ in throughout my career is to really build a good team that can work together to be able to succeed what you want your goals to be. Ilyne Deliquina: I that. I don't even have to ask you because I can already, and you've already shared how that connection was made between being a team player on the sports, ⁓ passion for nursing and what you do now today with vital gains, healthcare consulting. I don't want to take too much of our time because we have some incredible students who are gonna, they're gonna grill you Denise, buckle up. They're gonna have some good questions here. I'm gonna start off with Diane because ⁓ I Diane has already prepared a handful of questions. Go ahead, Diane. What's your first question for Denise? Dianne A: My question would be, what inspired you to go into the healthcare industry in the first place? Denise Napier: You know, always liked helping people ⁓ I, ⁓ a very early age, recognized I had compassion for folks and wanted you know, I classify myself a fixer. And if somebody's having hard time, ⁓ whether it's mentally or I want to be there. And so throughout my life, anytime my friends were sick or my family was sick, I was the first person they called and I wanted to make sure that I was by their side. And so I think that from an early age, I recognized that that was really my passion. Ilyne Deliquina: and you went for it all the way. Remind us how many years were you in healthcare prior to starting your own business? Denise Napier: Last 30 years ⁓ ⁓ don't want to say too much more than that. Ilyne Deliquina: ⁓ that's all. That's all, guys. But also that gives you that much credibility by starting Vital Gains. So that's amazing. Let's go to Katie. What's your first question? Katie D: Yeah, so I'm sure you know this as ⁓ previous nurse, but health care can definitely be a very emotional and personal field. So I was wondering how you balance the client connections with it being emotional, but also ⁓ it being more like on the business side. Denise Napier: Yeah, you know, that's a great question because I think that it's tough. And for me to sit here and say, separate your emotion is the wrong thing, right? Because I think that your emotion really makes that connection with that family member, right? I think what you need to keep in mind is that you're there and you're there to the family and the patient through a difficult time. And your role really is to help them cope. teach them and give them the tools so that when that patient goes home that can function on their own. ⁓ I think that that's probably the greatest reward of success that you have. There were times, well I will tell you, I got very, very close with, there's one patient who has remained with me since ⁓ think it's 1993. And remember and I was there with the family while he passed away. And that was very, very emotional. But I will tell you, that connection, help me grow even more so and develop more compassion for people. Ilyne Deliquina: Wow, thank you for sharing that, Denise. Wow, Sophia, your first question. Sofia C: What skills from like non-science fields like theater or softball are surprisingly valuable in healthcare leadership? Denise Napier: You know, that's an interesting question. People laugh when I tell them this, but I, in order for me to go into management, I needed to be able to ⁓ and to speak to people. And I'm a very shy person. If I go to a party, even today, I am the wallflower. I everybody. If somebody comes and talks to me, I'm fine. But what I've taught myself, how to approach people in a business sense right not so much the social aspect of it and so you You would say that People go for public speaking courses. just had no interest in doing Any more after my master's degree and I had children at the time So I just didn't have the time to do that and I wanted to do something fun So I joined the theater and when I joined the theater It allowed me to go into a role that I wasn't myself and to be able to take that shyness out. And the first thing that I did at the theater was improv. And that was the hardest thing to do. But I did that for many years and it actually helped me in my presentation skills and the way that I interact with people in the business field. Ilyne Deliquina: That was a great question, Sophia and Denise. Thanks for sharing ⁓ your experience with theater, but because we know each other, I also know that you have another passion of creating candles. Can you share with the ladies also after you retired from your previous organization that you just gobbled up every opportunity? Share with them a little bit how you found those passions. Denise Napier: Yeah, so I retired from my managed care job, but I don't think I prepared myself for retirement, so I just couldn't sit still. And I wasn't going to just sit home and clean the house every day. mean, it's clean every day, but I wasn't going to do that as my job. And I just needed to do something that was going to make me happy. And it just so happened to be that myself and my daughter, we buy candles all the time. And I thought, this is getting awfully expensive. So why don't you learn how to do candles? And so one of the things that I started to do about, I would say probably about a year and a half ago, was to make candles. But I evolved from that and created my own website. I actually worked with a couple of guys that helped me do social media. And year, the business actually took off. And I changed from doing candles. to doing candle flower arrangements. so I service in United States and I would say that I have my candle flowers as of last week in every state in the United States. So, ⁓ Ilyne Deliquina: Congratulations, Denise. This is why we have our guests come back, because I have to hear the rest of the story. So I wanted to especially let the ladies know that you can take a passion and build a business from it, right? So thank you for sharing that. Let's go Elizabeth. What's your first question? Denise Napier: Yeah. 10. Elizabeth V: made you realize that you wanted to shift from nursing and the healthcare side of your job to business and working in an executive position. Denise Napier: Yeah, so I really, when I was doing nursing, I looked at my opportunities within the hospital setting. I looked at all the different positions and none of that really interested me. And as I was going to school for my master's degree and I was going at nighttime and working during the day, I had bumped into a gentleman who was in managed care. And I said, well, in order for me to get into managed care, because I was a head nurse in ⁓ the hospital. I'm going to have to take a step back because I know nothing about managed care. And that was the biggest decision for me because I was always looking to grow. And for me to take a step back, thought, boy, this is not a good thing. But I made the decision to do that. And within six months, I was back up into management again. So it really was bumping into the right person. I really wanted to see where the trend was going ⁓ health care. And managed care was it at that time. Now it's evolving into something else, right? And so I think that you really need to just kind of sit back and look at what you desire to do and don't stay in a role just because it's comfortable. Ilyne Deliquina: That's so good. What I heard was took a step back to move forward, to go even further than you were. That's really, really cool. Joslin, your first question. Joslin: Hi, yeah, so I know you talked a little bit about how you used to be really shy and for the business side of things you had to learn how to overcome that and I think a lot of people sometimes can get dissuaded from things when they're not naturally good at it. So I was wondering what advice you have to give to people when facing challenges or adversity. Denise Napier: You have to push yourself. And I'll give you an example. One of the fears that I had, I was living in Philadelphia and I had a fear of bridges. And purposely went and got a job in New Jersey so that I would have to cross that bridge every day and get used to doing that. Now, today, I'm still afraid to cross the bridge, right? But I ⁓ challenge myself doing that and pushing myself to do it. So you've got to give yourself an opportunity. You have to really build that confidence in you to say, you know what, I'm going to do this whether it makes me uncomfortable or not. let's see what the outcome is because the outcome may not be as great as you want it to be, but you take that outcome and you say, okay, how do I fix it to make myself better? And so ⁓ really have to have that, that to grow ⁓ because you don't take that chance, ⁓ somebody is going to take that chance, right? And you're just going to be stuck in that hole. And so that's what I would say is really try and push yourself. if you don't know how to do it, connect with somebody who's already done it and from them. Ilyne Deliquina: And cross that bridge, connect with people, continuous learning. So many highlights, Denise, so many. Let's go to Diane, your next question. Dianne A: Yeah, so as somebody who hopes to work in the healthcare field one day, what skills do you think are the most important to start building now, whether it's networking and those social or personal attributes that do you think ⁓ should start developing at, especially since I'm so young right now? Denise Napier: Yeah, absolutely. think if you have an opportunity to even to do like a volunteer to get ⁓ the environment that you want to work in, because sometimes you have a passion to do something and ⁓ then in life you take a different path, which is great, right? But you want to be able to see what's on in that, ⁓ you know, in let's a hospital, if you want to work in a hospital. It's chaotic. Right? And depending on where you want to work, it could be more chaos. If you're working in the emergency room, you may say, well, you know, expectation is I need to be on the spot every second. Right? ⁓ if you're working in, let's say, labor and delivery, right? It's a much more different Right? You've got to be on the spot. But, you know, somebody may be delivering and you have to do it. But afterwards, you have that that warmth that comes over because you get to see the baby and you get to see the mom. Where in ER you're seeing people at their worst, right, in a trauma. So I think that exposing yourself to those types of elements will help you identify where you want to be, right? I actually had a friend of mine who was in nursing school with me and we were going through, she wanted to be a nurse and wanted to go through training and she just couldn't stand the sight of blood and it was like, that's... you know that's not an area you're going to know you're going to succeed and you need to find a different path in health care. So I would say if you can maybe get a volunteer or you know the candy the old you know I don't know what they're called nowadays but like the candy striper kind of jobs. I think that that would definitely help. There ⁓ are to help the elderly you know even if it's not in a health care setting there's opportunities to help children so this way you can see what demographic you want to work with, right? I started out with in the nursing home with the elderly. I love working with kids, having kids of my own, I would panic if one of them got sick. So I knew that I could not do pediatrics. That's just not for me. But helping the elderly was more of my demographics. Ilyne Deliquina: Denise, I love how you emphasize that there are other areas in healthcare that you can focus on. And I have, you know, have shared this with so many other students that if you really want to help people and you want to be in healthcare, there are so many other ways like ⁓ hospital administration. If you're more the detailed person, more actually of the business side, you can start your career off in that and no blood involved. So I can definitely relate to your friend there. Let's go on ⁓ Katie, your next question. Denise Napier: Bye. Exactly. Katie D: Yeah, so you mentioned one of your strengths was approaching people kind of on the business side. ⁓ I feel like a lot of times when people try and build these business side connections, they can feel pretty scripted and not genuine. ⁓ are your tips for making it feel more like a conversation and less like an interview? Denise Napier: you need to be yourself right and you go into let's say you're at a don't know you're at a meeting or you're at a restaurant and like nervous because you're going to be you know interacting with ⁓ let's a political person right and you want be who they want you to be you want to be who you are because that's what's going to sell you you need to build the confidence in. It doesn't matter whether or not you are an expert in the subject that you're going to be discussing. It doesn't matter. ⁓ I because I believe that you can learn from everyone. But just having that confidence to ⁓ be to go and have that conversation is going to be very helpful for you. Ilyne Deliquina: Be who you are, Katie. Great question, great question. Sophia, your next question. Sofia C: Being a CEO in the healthcare atmosphere, what major healthcare challenges do you think future generations will need to solve? Denise Napier: I'm going ⁓ kind of turn this to a techie response because ⁓ I believe that AI is going to be much more prominent ⁓ in the field than it is today. And you need to be willing to learn AI, whether it's ⁓ from a technology perspective how ⁓ that technology is going be helped help you reduce your administrative time so that you can spend time with patients if that's what you want to do. But I would say that ⁓ is going to be really, really important. ⁓ do think that we're going to have some breakthroughs. mean, we've got breakthroughs today with research, research. I've been reading a lot on Alzheimer's because my mom had passed from Alzheimer's. So that's something that kind of interests me. And I'm at the different medications that are coming out on the market or different things that we eat. So I do think that as we evolve in the healthcare, there's going to be more and more progress. And I think that the length of time that people live is going to expand, right? But you're always going to be, when you look at healthcare, you're always going to be against big pharma, right? So there's always going to be new medications coming out, new research coming out. ⁓ But would say that if anything, learn AI, get comfortable with AI because that's really, I think, going to take you pretty far in the healthcare field moving forward. And it's an area where if you don't want to be patient-facing, right, or family-facing, and you like computers, it's a great way to be involved in the healthcare field and make them succeed. Ilyne Deliquina: It's so good hearing from you, Denise, too, with your years experience the front lines and then running the business and saying, hey, don't sleep on that AI. You still need to do it. I think we have to worry about our young people these days. like teaching us about AI. ⁓ Let's go to Elizabeth. What's question? Elizabeth V: In your role like leading an organization, what health care challenges feel most urgent to solve to you? Denise Napier: Well, I think that the population that I worked with was the low-income population and they had a lot of challenges, right? ⁓ And of the things is that if you, you know, ⁓ if parents say, hey, you have a doctor's appointment, you need to go and get your shot or whatever you're going to go, right? ⁓ And may have somebody to be able to drive you to ⁓ get The population that I worked with had so many barriers that they had to overcome in order to go and get even a doctor's visit. they may have six children at home and they can't get, what are they gonna do? They can't get a cab, they can't get Uber, right? They got six kids, they need to be in a car seat. ⁓ so, you know, it's people try to get to and receive care that they need. ⁓ And I that that's a population that gets overlooked a lot. ⁓ And so would say that the biggest challenge would be ⁓ for that population is to make sure that as we evolve as a healthcare, right? We just got done talking about AI, but not everybody has the resource in the home to be able to do telehealth, right? I mean, just the other week, my doctor said it snowed here, right? ⁓ said, ⁓ we're closing the office, but I can talk to you through Zoom. Well, if I'm in an environment where I can't afford to have that, then there goes my healthcare. meeting right then and there. You're just not going be able to do it. So I do think that we have to understand the different levels of economy and how people get that health care. And I think you'll see those challenges your life. Ilyne Deliquina: Great question, Elizabeth. Thank you, Denise, for sharing that too. Joslin, we're back to you. Your next question for Denise. Joslin: I was wondering if you had any other educational background that relates to what you're currently doing now, ⁓ and if not, how ⁓ that experience was for you, given didn't have that background. Denise Napier: Yeah, so I to nursing school and then when I went for my master's I went into health administration to help me with and with public health. And so I was able to get that background. The one area that I will tell you is as you go through college, there's mandatory things depending on your degree that you want to go for. There's like statistics and physics and all of that. you know, all those good stuff. And it changes so many years of what requirements are. But I would say that the financial component was probably not my biggest strength, right? Anatomy, physiology, all that ⁓ was fine. ⁓ ⁓ look at numbers an accountant would was just, I didn't have that type of background, right? I had the basic. math background. But what I did was I and and have to really feel that I'm very trusting with people, right, ⁓ when you're working. ⁓ would go up to my my chief financial officer and say, do you have some time? Can you explain these numbers to me? Because I'm not I need to understand because when I think I need to think from the ground up, right, it's like a building block. And ⁓ I some really great chief financial officers that would sit down and explain those numbers and I would say, but what if? And so I learned throughout my career and I got stronger with that. So I would say that having connections and feeling comfortable ⁓ asking questions, because if you don't ask, you're not going to know and then ⁓ you're to be kind of stuck in where you are. Ilyne Deliquina: So helpful and so applicable outside of a nursing career or in healthcare. So thank you for that, Denise. Let's go back to Diane. So Diane, we have been on several sessions here now and I know she shared a little bit that she wants to go into healthcare, from a family of nurses. Diane, can you share a little bit with Denise ⁓ you plan on doing after high school, what your interests are? Dianne A: So, enough, I see myself a lot in you, Denise. I do have a lot of that similar kind of interest. ⁓ already have that natural passion and natural compassion for other people and I'm also in theater so a lot of our interests do align. ⁓ And ⁓ like what Ilyne I come from a family of nurses. ⁓ dad is a pediatric oncologist. and my mom works in the ICU. So ever since I was a kid, I kind of already had that exposure to that healthcare field. So I think ever since then, I've just, my interest for it has just grown even more. Denise Napier: That's great. have they so with them being in the healthcare field Do you have an opportunity to do something even now? In the settings that they're ⁓ work in Dianne A: Yeah, so when I was a kid, when we lived in this other area, I would come with them to the hospital sometimes. ⁓ they did work in pediatrics, the rules weren't too strict, and I would come visit them. And then I remember they would sometimes bring me for their rounds, and I would meet some of the ⁓ patients, especially if I knew who they were. So I already had that exposure to the hospital. ⁓ And now, There's lot of opportunities in my area for like what you said, doing the volunteering over the summer, like the candy striping. Denise Napier: That's great because having two parents in the healthcare field is going to help you. My daughter went to nursing school and I studied with her all time, right? ⁓ And it freshened me up as I ⁓ was with her, but ⁓ it will help you. It's great. Dianne A: Thank you, thank you so much. Ilyne Deliquina: That's awesome. Diane, do you have another question for Denise? Dianne A: I actually do. earlier when you answered me, you mentioned how ⁓ and complex like the healthcare field actually is with so much different like roles and pathways. ⁓ as a high school student, that's like, obviously we're navigating through our interests, what we want to do. I think I speak for my peers when I say that sometimes it can get a little overwhelming to have to choose a direction. ⁓ my question would be, how would you recommend kind of narrowing down the options without feeling too pressured to decide too early. Denise Napier: Yeah, like I said, your thought process, you can enter into college and think you're going to go one way. You turn 25 and you say, this is not what I want. And you take a different path. And then you're 40 and you go, no, this is not what I want. And you take another path. So it's good. mean, it's fine to be able to do that. I think that if you know that you want to go into health care field, you just don't know what area you want to go into. I would say that, you know, focus in on your academics, right? ⁓ because having that base foundation is gonna be able to really support you no matter which way you're gonna go. ⁓ you know, if you're gonna go into nursing and typically they like you to go into general med surge for at least two years before you pick a specialty. ⁓ I think that that will give you an opportunity to see really where you wanna go. ⁓ ⁓ As you go through nursing school, you're going to, you know, you'll have a rotation through pediatrics, you're going to have a rotation in medsurg, rotation at ICU and so forth. And I think that's going to give you a little bit more exposure, because you may say like I did, ⁓ I would love to work with pediatrics. And then I had these screaming kids and I'm like, ⁓ no, I can't do that. I can't give them a shot, you know? And it's so funny because even till today, this is really funny. And I worked in dialysis, so I gave needles to people every day. Ilyne Deliquina: You Denise Napier: I cannot stick myself. I have to give, my daughter has to give me shots. I can't do it myself. And so, you know, that's, it's just so funny. You just have to, you have to figure out what you're good at and what you're, you're willing to do. But I would say go to your general med surge, enjoy your college years. You don't have to make a decision right then and there which path you want to go. And then you'll be able to, to focus out. Ilyne Deliquina: So helpful. Thank you, Denise. Diane, how does that make you feel? You got some good advice there. Dianne A: Yes, of course. the whole have fun in college, you don't have to decide as soon as possible. I feel like that gave me so much closure and advice is just so inspiring and so motivating. Thank you so much. Ilyne Deliquina: Good, I can see the relief and the release from your there, so that's good. ⁓ right, let's hop over to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is another one of our students who's interested in healthcare. I have the notes and know exactly which direction that you have shared with us, but why don't you share with Denise ⁓ what planning on doing after high school or what you have an interest in. Elizabeth V: Yeah, so I'm like right now currently I'm interested in the science and math subjects that I'm taking, especially biology. So when planning on going to college, so I'll probably be ⁓ more science courses and I hope to go in the medical field and maybe do radiology is what I'm interested in now. But I'm sure there'll be other paths that come up and look interesting to me as I go through these classes. ⁓ Denise Napier: Yeah, think radiology, some of my family members actually went ⁓ into radiology ⁓ they actually took that experience and they to grow and they went into the cancer field through radiation oncology and having a radiology background helped them get to where they needed to be. But I think that ⁓ having that interest in I think there's many paths that you can take. My daughter-in-law, she an A student through college and she focused on biology. She really loved it. She actually is now doing research at University of Penn and loves it. She doesn't want to do patient-facing ⁓ to be nurse or whatever, but her interest was more of, me find out what can help with cures. ⁓ she took a completely different path. like I said, there's so many different ways that you can go. But having that, really focus in on your basics, your academics. And then if you have a strong foundation, you can go anywhere. Ilyne Deliquina: That's right. That's such good encouragement. Elizabeth, do you have another question for Denise? Elizabeth V: Yes, thank you for your answer to my question. That was really helpful. And also, what responsibilities do you think that people in health care have? Because obviously, you have to treat your patient, but there's also lot of morals and ethics that go into being in the health industry. Denise Napier: Yeah, I think that your major responsibility as go into the health care field ⁓ is want to do right by people, right? Do no harm, right? And I that having as a basics is going to keep you on that ethical track, right? I mean, no matter where you work, you're going to have to follow all their compliance rules and regulations and you'll learn that as you go through school, but it's really understanding what's right and what's wrong. But do think that having a good ethic is going to be key, right? You may have some people, and I know someone who is in healthcare field but says, I don't want to work weekends, I don't want to work nights. you know, I want what I want and that is not going to get her anywhere. Right. And being open to opportunities and learning about those opportunities, I think is going to get you further, know, further along. But I think having that work ethic, don't call out sick all the time, you know, that type of thing. And when you're, when you're at work, be present at work, help the other, help the other people be a team. Because I think that that's going to. help you really get recognized in that institution wherever you may go. Ilyne Deliquina: comes around to being able to work as a team. That's helpful, Thank you. ⁓ Let's go to Katie. I know Katie a lot of different interests and you can tell how articulate and how clear her questions are. What kind of ⁓ a position would you see in the healthcare for somebody like Katie? Not openly expressing she wants to go into healthcare, but are there opportunities for the creatives, the communication kinds of people? Denise Napier: Yeah, there absolutely is. you know, it's funny because sometimes you don't see what's behind the scene all the time. having, ⁓ you know, you talk about creatives, one of the biggest things that people struggle with is branding and being able to, ⁓ I talk about grow, whether it's a hospital, whether it's a doctor's office, whether it's ⁓ radio right, you've got to have good branding. You've got to be able to get people to recognize who you are, what your values are, ⁓ they'll keep coming back. ⁓ And there are ⁓ institutions are really looking for some real good creative ⁓ people, whether marketing, it's innovation, they're really looking for really good people that are going to take some skills and help them grow. And I would say within that, is going to come to end in a big play with creativity. Ilyne Deliquina: Yeah, Katie, why don't you share with Denise a little bit about what your interests are? Katie D: So currently I plan on majoring in something with business or finance in college. The classes that I'm taking right now that I like the most are math centered, but that is only a small component of why I would like to go into business. ⁓ think it's more so just interacting with people, problem solving. I really like that face-to-face connection that you get, ⁓ it's selling ⁓ making ideas and brainstorming. I really, really enjoy that. So I definitely like your idea with finding more of those positions, not just in a financial centered company or anything like that. Since all of these companies, whether it's in pharma or medicine or anything like that, ⁓ you need all these different components, not just doctors or nurses as some may think. Denise Napier: think that as you're speaking, two things came to mind. I think you have two strengths going into this. ⁓ is having that math background is going to be, I think, is key, no matter what business you go into. But many people with that are math, have strong ⁓ math backgrounds are persons. They're not. Ilyne Deliquina: you You Denise Napier: And by you saying that you to be around people and ⁓ with people and having those two assets, I think is going to get you ⁓ further your career than what you believe. So I would say strengthen those math, strengthen your business aspect, keep that people person because as you develop team, as you get into business, they're going to look to you, right? And having a boss that is open-minded and engaging and wanting to help their employee grow, people will follow you no matter where you go. And then you'll start getting really good customer ⁓ or employee satisfaction surveys ⁓ going to take you, think, even further. Katie D: Thank you so much. Ilyne Deliquina: So for our listeners, yeah, so for our listeners, you can't see, but there's this giant smile on Katie's face. Katie, how do you, Katie, how does that make you feel? Do feel a little bit more encouraged to go down the path that you're seeking so far? Denise Napier: Hot sink? Thank Katie D: Yeah, that makes me feel great, especially because I feel like a lot of times, kind of as Diane was saying, at this age when we start off high school, we start to think, okay, I'm going to do one specific major in college, which is going to lead me down one specific career path. And we kind of forget, ⁓ you when you find your skills, they can be applied so many different ways. So that definitely does make me feel a lot better. Thank you. Denise Napier: Yeah, sure. But yeah. ⁓ Ilyne Deliquina: Denise, I hope you can tell that you're bringing a lot of relief to our ninth graders. Some of these ladies are just starting high school. So thanks for your encouragement, Denise. Let's go over to Sophia. Sophia, why don't you share a little bit with Denise what you would like to do. I know that you have an interest in science and tech, researching in genetics. A lot of the science-y side of the schoolhouse there. Denise Napier: ⁓ okay. Yeah, yeah. Sofia C: Yes, well I'm really into genetics and cellular and cancer treatments and also researching about autism and finding why autism happens and how we can prevent it in the future maybe. And it's really interesting to hear about your experience as a nurse as I have also been looking into doctor roles and also helping out in local hospitals as well. But I'm just really into currently research and learning things. Denise Napier: great. There are so many different areas in research that you get. So you don't have to even be a doctor, right? You could be a physicist or whatever, know, to ⁓ able to do ⁓ research. you know, having that aspiration of, you know, getting to that top to be able to drive that research, ⁓ I is really good. Yeah, there's so many opportunities right now. especially with genetics, mean it is, you know, that's a booming field right now. Ilyne Deliquina: Sophia, what other question do you have for Denise? Sofia C: One of questions was, what was the biggest mindset shift that you had making the move from bedside nursing to leadership and being the CEO of a healthcare company? Denise Napier: Yeah, it was it was really scary for me to take that step back taking that step back because I was going from absolutely nursing and ⁓ I'm to be telephonic and I'm really going to be more on the administrative side. But when I started into managed care, I wanted to make sure that that I liked And that's why ⁓ I kept doing on the weekends and doing managed care. ⁓ the week until I felt comfortable enough to do that. ⁓ would say that the biggest challenge for me was not having face to face anymore. ⁓ And so actually went into, when I went into managed care, I went into care management and utilization management and back then ⁓ we used round at the hospitals. So it really allowed me to connect with the nurses and allowed me to connect with the patients. Now it's completely different. I mean, it's all paperwork and telephonic. ⁓ able to talk that patient was really key for me. ⁓ And as I grew, even in my leadership one of the that I wanted to do, ⁓ and I had about 400,000 ⁓ members in my health plan. But if they needed me, they wanted to talk to me. A lot of them reached out to me through LinkedIn that they may be having trouble getting something or whatever. I would never ignore them. I would say I'll get back to you, I'll have somebody help you, so that I'm constantly reaching out to make sure that I am engaging with that community. I used to go out and do, and I still do, even with my candles today, is I go out and do events because I want to know what people are thinking, what they want. ⁓ I think it's really key for you to keep that connection between you and the community. Ilyne Deliquina: That's amazing. Denise, I love that you're painting that picture of how not just that you help and serve people, that you're so passionate people that even ⁓ your candle business that you're using the same kind of values and qualities to people. That's amazing. Let's hop to, we'll camp out a little bit with our junior, our 11th grader here, Joslin. hasn't quite decided what direction she's going and has a lot of different interests. So, Joslin, why don't you share with Denise what you, what you plan on doing after high school. Joslin: I definitely want to go to college. I have lot of different interests, which I think is a ⁓ thing, but also sometimes makes it a little harder to choose what I want to do. I love writing. ⁓ do art. ⁓ love researching. I like helping people. And I pride myself on communication skills. I enjoy working face to face with people. And I I'm very interested in like how things work, especially electronics and all of that. So I have a lot of a lot of different interests. Denise Napier: You don't have to make a decision, right? You have to really, I think that your passion will guide you you go to college and your first year, you really want to get in there, you want to take your basics, and ⁓ it guide you in which way you want to go. I mean, there's so many different things that you can do, even combining your interests together. There may be opportunities for you to use many of those skill sets in, you know, when you take a look at you talk about communications, I mean, there's, and I'll just go back to, you know, the hospital, but there are patient engagement or customer engagement, even in ⁓ healthcare, right? Because the ⁓ engagement that again, you have with people ⁓ they see what ⁓ values are, it's that customer no matter which, whether it's healthcare, whether it's AT &T. ⁓ It's keeping that customer with you so that they're going to continue to get the services from you and having good communication skills to be able to engage them, understand what their needs are, and even transitioning that into a data platform You can really combine ⁓ a lot of the things that you talked about. into roles that are already existing or roles that people would probably take your skill set and say I'll create a role for you. So you don't have to make a decision. think that just invest your time ⁓ sharpening up your skills in those areas that you like ⁓ then I would identify the area that you're not strong in and you know how you can improve in that because like I said combining your skill sets is gonna help you succeed. Ilyne Deliquina: Combining your skill set. So if you were to ask, probably wrote every single word you wrote down. She is, I can relate to this, ⁓ a very note taker, like a court reporter. ⁓ Joslin, do have another question for Denise? Joslin: Yeah, so not sure how much you're involved in the hiring process as far as for your company and all of that, but also for your candle business. I know you talked about how you hired people recently who work with the social media side of it. So was wondering what you look for ⁓ applicants. Denise Napier: Yeah, so I look for people, look for not necessarily that they have to be the A ⁓ student, But I want somebody who's hungry, who's hungry to work, who's hungry to learn, and somebody that... One of the I will tell you, ⁓ growing up throughout career, I was never one to say no to an opportunity. If my boss said, can you do this? would never say, I'm too busy. I would do it. I would find a way of doing it because it helps you grow. And ⁓ I definitely say ⁓ keeping those open is really going to help even make it develop even further skill sets than you ⁓ have today. Ilyne Deliquina: Awesome. Joslin, ⁓ this was a great conversation with Denise. What did you pick up from our conversation today? Joslin: Yeah, I mean, there were a lot of things you said that were great. I really liked what you said about finding skills that you might be more weak in, and working on those, because I think a lot of times I focus on my strengths and where I can go with those. But I've heard the importance of becoming well-rounded in all areas to open up the most amount of pathways for myself. So I really appreciated that statement. Ilyne Deliquina: Opening up Pathways saying yes. I'm sure you have a lot more on that list too, Joslin. I'll give you an opportunity to share two or three more that you picked up today. Joslin: Yeah, I mean, I definitely have a lot written down on my paper. Let me see, I really, I liked what you said this a little bit ago, but you were talking about your accounting and how ⁓ that a skill you had to learn. I really liked how you were talking about how you were able to ask for help. I think sometimes there can be a bit of a stigma around asking for help in all areas because some people it as a vulnerability, as admitting that you don't know something. rather than an opportunity to learn more and help expand your skill set. So I really appreciated you saying that. I thought that was great. And liked what you said about people being, ⁓ when look for applicants, people being hungry for more. I mean, I think I see a lot of that in myself. I personally would describe myself as a very passionate person. I'm always looking for how I can improve myself and how I can push myself further. ⁓ So thought that was really great to hear. Ilyne Deliquina: Love that. So proud of you, Joslin. Thank you for taking such excellent notes and sharing with our guests. Like this is not an interview, but Denise, right? If you had, can you see somebody like Joslin with these skills, this kind of personality in your previous organizations or as you continue to build somebody like this on team? Denise Napier: Absolutely. mean when I look for people to be on my team, I look for people that are going to be passionate about the work that they're going to do and be very mindful as if it was your own company. know, and I think that having that passion to whether it's writing, whether it's nursing, I think that having that shown on a daily basis. I think engages your boss, right? It definitely would engage me and I would want to give you opportunities and I'd say, hey, you want to learn? One of the things that I like to do is mentor. if I see somebody like you, I'm going to say, well, you know what, maybe we need to talk about this opportunity here. And you may say, I don't know anything about it. And I'll say, don't worry about it. ⁓ teach you or I will connect you with somebody that you can learn on. So having that ability to ⁓ I think is really important, especially when you go into ⁓ workforce. Ilyne Deliquina: All right. Let's switch it up a little bit here. Diane, I know we always ask resonated with you, but I'm going to throw you a little curve ball. Was there something that Denise shared with you today that surprised you? Dianne A: I would say is towards the beginning, just just when initially said that, I was working for so long, was working 30 years as a registered nurse, as an RN, and then I do this switch to accounting and the administration side of things, I think that's what really shocked me because I like, I was just, I've had mindset. that the career that you take should just be like straight line and the straighter that line is the better. But throughout this session, when I've been hearing about like Denise and her experience and her insight and her knowledge, it really opened up my perspective and it genuinely expanded my understanding of careers, of the healthcare field and how diverse and dynamic a career could truly be. and that doesn't make it any less with worth, I think it makes it even stronger. Ilyne Deliquina: Awesome. You are paying attention, Diane. right. Another health care interest here. Elizabeth, what did you pick up today from Denise? Elizabeth V: ⁓ I really liked how even though nursing wasn't really the path that you wanted to go on and you switched to the financial stuff side, you still kept up with like your nursing skills because I think like when you're making such a big shift like that, losing skills that you worked so long and so hard for it might seem like a bit like, why did I do that? But I think like, it's nice to see how even if the first pass path you took didn't really work out. those skills can still be used in other ways. Denise Napier: Yeah, I actually, I worked too hard to get through nursing school and to pass my boards. And today I still go for my yearly CEUs and my license. I will not give it up. And I'm afraid to give it up because it was so hard to get. Ilyne Deliquina: So good. That's good. So you're maintaining your certifications there. Let's go to you, Katie. What did you hear today that changed how you think about getting from where you are now as a ninth grader interested in communications, math, and business where you want to go from here? Katie D: Yeah, so I really like what you were saying about just in general, some things that you struggled with so that even could mean ⁓ softball, how you said you maybe weren't the best player, ⁓ even talking to people. I think that a lot of times when people are in these situations, you you haven't met us face to face ever, where we're kind of conscious of how we talk about ourselves and you only want to share your strengths. So... I definitely think that you've encouraged me to more look at specific weaknesses I have and ask for help, as you were saying. Because obviously people can see your strengths, but they also are going to see your weaknesses. And then when you ask for help with those, it isn't taken as a sign ⁓ weakness. It's a sign of ⁓ of being resilient and brave. Ilyne Deliquina: Look at you making an impact, Denise, making an impact on this next generation. We have one more student here, Sophia. What stood out to you the most today in this conversation? Sofia C: think because majority of us here really aren't into healthcare or like the business side ⁓ like Denise gave us a lot of advice on how to step into it. ⁓ like for Katie to it more in financial side of healthcare and not just look at it's just doctors ⁓ then for like Diane and Elizabeth going to hospitals and volunteering and see like different types like a hospital like majors not majors like physicians there are like in pediatrics and and other things. And for me personally, it's kind of like for the AI of it and like seeing how the healthcare expands how like different subjects and like would be expanded on from school to your life and like how jobs are and how Denise gave us like a perspective of what we can see in our future. ⁓ Ilyne Deliquina: Awesome! Good job Sophia. I'm going to surprise Mr. Olszewski. is substituting for Ms. Sarah Reed. I'd like to hear your perspective. It's your first time on our show hearing your students ask these incredible Did you pick up anything or how do feel like this program has been helping ⁓ New Hope Solebury Mr. Olszewski: I think it's been wonderful interacting and hearing both sides of Denise's story and how she has gone through certain things and how the students can pick up on some of those tips and her experiences to kind of guide and direct them on their next step. It's interesting when we're working with students, they always have an idea of some of the things that they want to do and they're interested in. And some might not have an idea of exactly what that means professionally down the road. But I think having conversations like that gives them a better idea that they don't have to have it all figured out in this moment and that their experiences that they gain down the road and through their college or ⁓ courses or their experiences they have professionally down the road, that can help shape it. And Denise was really great at kind of giving them that perspective that you don't know what you don't know yet, but when you get there, you're going to have, it's going to be a clearer path of where you might be leading. blending all of those things in that you're kind of interested in. Ilyne Deliquina: I could not have said that any better. Thank you, Mr. O. right, well, Denise, we're down to the last couple of minutes here. What are your final words, final words of wisdom or encouragement for our students at New Hope Solebury Denise Napier: Yeah, as you go through life and college and the workforce, you may engage in opportunities that is predominantly a male environment. And one thing that I will say, and I typically end with this, is that even though you are female, you will have and make yourself confident in that. Take every opportunity and don't let anybody hold you down. Ilyne Deliquina: The end. literally how we end. Look at all these hands clapping. Denise, what the website for ⁓ Vital Healthcare Consulting? Denise Napier: The end. It's www.VitalGainHC.com Ilyne Deliquina: Excellent. Well, I'd like to thank our students from New Hope-Solebury and our substitute Mr. Olszewski, Katie, Diane, Sophia, Elizabeth, and Joslin. Again, Denise, we'll definitely have to have you back. Thanks so much for joining us here at AccessCo Leaders Career Conversations. Denise Napier: Thanks, it was a pleasure. Bye bye.