Meet Michelle Varcho: 3RNet's Director of Education Outreach and Operations

Tell us about your background. Where were you before you came to 3RNet?
I have an MBA and I also have my Senior Professional in Human Resources certification. I’ve been working in HR for the last 24 years. The last 10 years have been spent in the healthcare industry including working in a Federally Qualified Health Center. 

You started working with 3RNet full-time in 2015. What brought you to 3RNet?
I have worked with 3RNet part-time for the last four years and I became a full-time employee in 2015. I worked with Mike Shimmens, the Executive Director of 3RNet, in my role at the community health center, when he was with the Missouri Primary Care Association (MPCA). He informed me of an opportunity to work with 3RNet and help create processes and help facilities recruit for providers. The mission of safety net facilities has always been close to my heart and this was a good fit for me. I get to apply my experience at a national level. 

You make presentations on the recruitment process. Tell us how that works and what information you present.
I go to a lot of Primary Care Association (PCA) groups, but my main focus is all safety net facilities. I work with 3RNet’s recruitment for retention manual and the factors to market your community eBooks. Sometimes I will deliver information specific to the operations of the site facility. I did this recently in New York State. Recruitment is a combination of art and science. It must be tailored to the specific location. You have to work with the facility’s entire team  to find the best options. I try to let people know that a tailored process equals the best outcome.

What other duties do you have as Director of Education Outreach and Operations?
I work on the finance side of things, along with human resources, which means I make sure the bills are paid, and that we pay our employees. I enjoy the “number” side of things. I think understanding the numbers makes you a better partner. I also make updates to our manuals to make sure they are current with latest strategies. I enjoy going on-site to faciities. I enjoy getting to know the teams and learning that what I put in place is helpful. I enjoy working with our partners to learn new things about our industry.

What do you think the most beneficial thing about 3RNet is?

The thing I love about 3RNet is that we are the “good guys”. We are mission driven and in many cases we do not charge for our services. We help people to the best of our ability to bring healthcare to communities that need it. And you can’t forget our members. Our members make 3RNet, 3RNet!