Meet Our Team: Misty Sharpe
This is the first in a series of interviews with new Rx4good team members. Meet Misty Sharpe, MSN, RN, who joined Rx4good last month as an Account Manager after spending 5 years at the Adult Congenital Heart Association where she held several roles, including Accreditation Program Manager.
Q: What is exciting and daunting about transitioning from working at a nonprofit patient organization to joining Rx4good?
MS: I think what is exciting and daunting are one and the same. I love the fact that there are so many different services Rx4good offers, which means there is an opportunity to learn and build new skills, see what excites me, lean into that and give back. At the same time, the multitude of services to learn about is also daunting. However, everyone has been so helpful in pointing me in the right direction of the “go-to” people for Rx4good’s expertise areas and encouraging me to give myself grace as I learn the ropes. I look forward to continuing to learn and finding where I fit within the agency.
Q: What services have sparked your interest so far?
MS: I’m learning how to build value by pulling information together for our clients on who to engage and why among various organizations. It’s fascinating to learn through mapping stakeholder organizations how all the pieces paint a bigger strategic picture. I’ve also been a part of several brainstorming and strategy sessions and have already seen how my previous experience can be beneficial in helping clients figure out the story they wish to tell about patient engagement and advocacy.
Q: What have you learned about your clients?
Our clients are very aware of some of the perceptions that people have of the industry on issues such as drug and treatment pricing. It’s rewarding to see how much they care about what is important to the community. They recognize that a drug being available isn’t meaningful if people cannot access it or afford it. To that end, they want to be part of a conversation to make access easier and support initiatives that raise awareness and help patients and caregivers.
Q: How would you describe Rx4good’s culture?
The culture at Rx4good is inviting, accepting, and highly collaborative. Interviewing with Rx4good was unlike any interview process I’ve ever been through. Everyone was so encouraging about the value I would add to the team. There’s a genuine desire for every member of the team to feel welcome and fulfilled in the work they are doing, in addition to opportunities to carve out your unique career path. Those first impressions made it so easy to want to be a part of this team and I’ve seen that continue since joining almost a month ago.
Q: Where do you want to make your mark?
I’ve been a patient advocate for a long time and know what it’s like to be a patient and a family member affected by a chronic condition. I lost my nephew to congenital heart disease when he was just 20 years old because he didn’t have access to healthcare. As a nurse and patient, I’ve seen the triumphs and challenges of the healthcare system. I see where those various experiences can bring unique perspectives to this team. I hope to bring these experiences together to help our clients make true changes in our healthcare system.
Q: Having been a patient, how does that impact your views of healthcare and each patient’s journey?
I was born with several heart defects and had four surgeries very early on in life. While I always knew I would need lifelong follow-up, I didn’t always know that required a specialized cardiologist. While I’ve had struggles with insurance and my path to appropriate care wasn’t linear, I’ve been fortunate that my quality of life has been largely unimpacted by my health condition. It didn’t truly click for me until I became a nurse, and later a non-profit professional, that there can be such vast differences in the patient journey. In the congenital heart world, even if we have the same condition and the same surgeries, each person can have a different journey and outcome. Some patients do well while others may spend months in the hospital for various reasons or have lifelong health impacts. I think this is true across all health journeys no matter the diagnosis. All of our journeys are individual yet we face many of the same collective struggles, such as healthcare access, and we have to find that common ground to enact true change.
Q. Tell us about you as a human.
I try to look at life as an adventure meant to be lived, to take risks and be open to life’s possibilities. I love being outdoors – kayaking and hiking are two of my favorite activities. Fall is my favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I’m originally from South Carolina but have lived in Tennessee for around 10 years. I live just outside of Nashville with my husband and our dog and two cats with aspirations of having a beautifully landscaped yard with lots of plants and a garden. I need to work on my green thumb first though!
Q: Favorite food: Crab Legs – or any seafood
Q: Favorite movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Q: Favorite place you’ve been: Scotland – it was magical!
