As one member of the Information Systems (IS) team at Hendricks Regional Health, Jami Martin is a natural. Which is why it’s so hard to imagine everything she went through to get to this point in her career.
Jami grew up on the south side of Indianapolis, the oldest of two brothers who were six and 12 years younger than her. Her grandparents lived next door. Jami believes this is why she’s always felt driven to help people. “I’ve always been a caregiver,” she said.
Jami first worked in food service for a few years, but something nagged at her. “I wanted to help others and I started to feel that healthcare was where I needed to be,” she said. After earning her associate degree in medical assisting, Jami worked in a few offices before finding her way to Indiana Adult and Pediatric Medicine (IAPM). About a year and a half after starting, she gave birth to her oldest son. He had some health problems that required extended therapy and frequent doctor’s appointments. It became difficult for Jami to maintain a full-time job, so she left and stayed at home with him until he started kindergarten.
In 2012, Jami started her new position at Westside Physicians for Women (WPW), as secretary for Dr. Michelle Fenoughty.
“We were a perfect fit, and that office was and still is a family to me,” she said.
Seven years into her time at WPW, Jami received an opportunity to move to IS as a clinical informaticist. “I was uncertain, but Dr. Fenoughty thought I had unrealized potential with informatics,” she said. “She felt I could impact patient care on a larger scale by supporting the Epic system.”
Jami successfully applied – and was hit with a new challenge. “The position required me to get my bachelor’s degree,” she said. “Within three months of moving to IS, while learning a new job, and having two young sons at home, I went back to school.”
After 15 months of arduous work and lots of support from her family, coworkers, and Dr. Fenoughty, Jami earned her bachelor’s degree – and felt she had more to give. “A few of my coworkers have a master’s degree,” she said. “It felt right to keep going.” In December 2022, she earned her master’s degree. For the first time in three years, Jami is living life without homework! “It’s a whole new world!” she said. “I felt totally out of my comfort zone when I left WPW, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my job. There’s something special about working at Hendricks.”
