Describe your day-to-day responsibility and a typical day.
I am the construction project manager representing a hospital client in Austin. I manage the entire construction project process, from inception to completion and act as the go-between between the owner, the construction team, and the architects. It’s my responsibility to keep projects on schedule with within budget and to ensure all quality, regulatory compliance, certifications, and code requirements are met.
Describe the path you took to arrive in your current role.
My career path has been somewhat varied. I went to medical school and then followed my passion for design and got my master’s in architecture. Now I manage construction project in hospitals. And along the way I took time off when my children were young to focus on my family. When my youngest started school I went back to work full-time. I had some experience working with my husband, managing construction projects for friends and colleagues. I have always wanted to work in this field, combining my experience in healthcare, architecture, and construction project management and so I found this great company Medxcel that helps to build hospitals. There is a great career path here for Construction Project Managers.
How is Medxcel is supporting your development and career goals?
My boss is great, and I have two additional senior Project Managers who have helped mentor me and provided me with career progression guidance within Medxcel. I meet with my boss quarterly to get feedback and prepare for career advancement. The career path for Construction Managers is well defined here and leaders are always available to answer questions and provide guidance.
What is the best part of your job?
My favorite part of this job is when we complete a project and do a walk through afterwards. You spend so much time and energy seeing the project through to completion, then it is so gratifying to see people using the space the way it was intended. You can see things functioning the way that was intended, and you can see how happy patients and staff are in the new space. I enjoy the entire journey and the people I work with along the way, but there’s nothing like the feeling I get when I see the space being used and enjoyed.
What would you say to someone who asks you if you recommend working for Medxcel?
I absolutely recommend Medxcel as a great organization. My role can be challenging at times, meeting deadlines, and working hard to get projects completed within budget, but it’s extremely rewarding, and I love my job. I was recruited to Medxcel by one of their employees who was also trained as an architect. She sold me on Medxcel after telling me how much she loves her job. I feel the same way.
What is the most unusual or interesting thing that’s happened to you at Medxcel?
The pandemic has definitely impacted my time here. I joined Medxcel two months before we were sent home to work remotely. Normally I would have been in the office, learning from other Project Managers and working on-site at my construction projects, overseeing the process. Although we were sent home we continued to work on projects, completing them all on schedule. Since I was new to the position, I was assigned to larger projects where I could assist the senior Project Managers. Instead of being on-site and in the office with them reviewing documents and discussing the projects, I did have to do more learning on my own. We did have a lot of virtual meetings. It was certainly unusual to manage projects virtually, but all of our projects went on as planned and were completed on schedule through the pandemic. We’re really proud of that!