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Annie Ideker
Senior Medical Advisor for Clinician Experience and Clinician/Patient Relationships, Ambulatory; Family Physician
HealthPartners
Industry - Medical
A Little Bit About Our Family
My kids are in 5th grade and 7th grade and are back in school after doing hybrid/partial distance learning last year during the beginning of the pandemic. My husband works in sales leadership for a technology company and works from home; I now find myself working from home most days per week and this has been an adjustment (and a welcome change for our dog, who now has 2 people to snuggle him during the day). Our family enjoyed the forced slow down last year when activities were suspended due to COVID, but we are now back in the thick of it, balancing work, school and busy schedules. My son plays hockey and my daughter plays hockey and is a competitive dancer. Juggling hockey practices, games and multiple dance rehearsals per week is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, but through the power of shared calendars and a wonderful network of families and friends, somehow we make it all work.
A Lot Can Change Over Time
My work responsibilities have changed significantly in the past year. I led our organization’s implementation of virtual care in response to the pandemic, and then moved into a newly-created role leading clinician experience for our organization. I am thrilled to be doing work that will allow my colleagues to have greater joy in practice and a more delightful and sustainable experience delivering care at HealthPartners. I have been challenged personally in the past year to find balance in my own life as working from home has meant that I am never truly leaving work behind, but I am learning to carve out more time away from email, prioritize tasks more critically, and be more intentional about creating space for myself and my family.
I have been challenged personally in the past year to find balance in my own life as working from home has meant that I am never truly leaving work behind.
Looking Forward
As life returns to normal, I look forward to being back in the office on at least a part-time basis. I miss interactions with colleagues and appreciate the efficiency of being able to communicate directly instead of the back-and-forth of email, along with being able to resolve things quickly instead of waiting for a meeting that is dependant on schedules aligning . I do, however, appreciate the fact that I get more work done when I don’t have an hour or more of windshield time getting back and forth to the office. Also, I look forward to the day that I am able to see my patients without masks and goggles and the sense of fear that has permeated so many of our interactions in the clinic.
Balancing Career and Motherhood
With regard to balancing career and motherhood, I am fortunate in that I have never felt like I had to make a choice between the two. For many years, when our children were younger, we had a full-time nanny who seamlessly partnered with my husband and I to provide care for our children. This was particularly important when our children were small, and my husband was in his previous role where he traveled weekly for work. Now that our children are older and their needs have changed, we enjoy the support of a network of close friends who help each other navigate the phase of life we are all in - which primarily consists of moving kids back and forth to various activities. It helps to have close friendships with other moms who are also trying to balance career and family, as well as supportive mentors and leaders both inside and out of the workplace.
It helps to have close friendships with other moms who are also trying to balance career and family, as well as supportive mentors and leaders both inside and out of the workplace.
Final Thoughts
One of the things that has been most helpful for me in the past 18 months is to be conscious of just slowing down, and creating space for the things that matter most to me and that help me build and sustain my own resilience - running, cooking, playing a game with my kids, etc. This is probably my biggest lesson from COVID, and one that I plan to carry with me well beyond the pandemic.
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