Career Path of an HR Compliance Consultant at Kaiser Permanente
Cheryl began their career journey by attending vocational school for medical secretary work, which led to internships and a receptionist position that evolved into a facilities coordinator role. After seven years, an initial missed opportunity with Kaiser Permanente turned into a 24-year career, starting in physician recruitment and progressing through roles like recruiting assistant, disability management, and compliance, ultimately reaching the position of HR Compliance Consultant III by being a "sponge" who learned about the organization and networked.
Healthcare Administration, Human Resources, Compliance, Career Advancement, Recruitment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Cheryl Zapanta
HR Compliance Consultant III
Kaiser Permanente
Community College
N/A
Medical, Sciences & Related
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Consulting
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Started in a vocational school for medical secretary, completed a 6-month course with two internships, and then got hired into a medical group, showcasing an alternative path to a healthcare career.
2. Began at Kaiser in physician recruitment, specifically as a moving allowance coordinator and then recruiting assistant, handling a heavy workload of coordinating interviews for various physician roles.
3. Transitioned to compliance after seven years in recruitment, starting as an administrative assistant and working up to a consultant role within HR, emphasizing the importance of networking and continuous learning within the organization.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college. Include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
My scenario is a little different. I started a family very young and finished school, then went straight into vocational school for medical secretary. From there, I completed a six-month course and did two internships.
After that, I was hired into a medical group in San Francisco. I started as a receptionist and worked my way up to facilities coordinator, helping the CEO maintain the facility. I worked there for seven years before finding an opportunity with Kaiser.
I first started with Kaiser after being referred for a position. Although they had already hired someone that day, the hiring manager kept my resume on file. About three months later, I got a call because that hire didn't work out.
I was brought in, met the team, and was hired. That was 24 years ago, and I'll be with Kaiser for 25 years this year. I started in physician recruitment as a moving allowance coordinator, helping newly hired physicians relocate.
Then, I moved up to a recruiting assistant, where I handled the heaviest workload for internal medicine, family practice, and hospital-based physicians. I was coordinating about 75 to 80 interviews a week with candidates from all over the United States.
After that position, I left for seven years and went into compliance. Currently, I'm in the compliance department as a consultant. I started there as an administrative assistant and worked my way up, learning about the organization and its different entities.
I networked, learned as much as I could, and ended up where I am now. I've been under Human Resources for the whole 24 years. Our organization is great because there are so many areas within HR to learn about.
As I mentioned, I worked in recruitment, disability management, and compliance. It was a great opportunity that I almost missed because they had hired someone else initially. I did take some college courses, but my prerequisite was nursing. I wanted to go into nursing, but having children at a young age made it hard to continue my studies.
Just getting my foot in the door anywhere in the medical field helped me. I started as an admin and worked my way up to a consultant, and I'm very proud of that.