Mayo Clinic Employee Experiences: On exploring careers at other campuses, moving lives across the country

By In the Loop • May 2, 2019

Mayo Clinic is a unique place: the culture, the values, the people. "Mayo Clinic Employee Experiences" explores the experiences of Mayo Clinic staff as they navigate life personally and professionally. Sharing these experiences increases understanding of others and ultimately contributes to finding connections, belonging and inclusion at work.

In this episode, you'll hear from Andre and Luqing as they share their experience of relocating to a new campus while working for Mayo Clinic. Andre moved from Mayo Clinic's Arizona campus to Mayo Clinic's Florida campus to embrace the change and opportunities available in research. Luqing moved from Rochester to Arizona for a new start as an engineer and to escape Minnesota winters.

Listen as Andre and Luqing share their experience:

Read the transcript, edited for length and clarity, below:

ANDRE: One thing we have to remember as Mayo Clinic employees, no matter what site you are, you are still apart of one Mayo Clinic.

NARRATOR: In this episode, Andre, operations manager in research administration on the Florida campus, and Luqing, a senior health systems engineer on the Scottsdale campus, share their experiences in relocating while still working for Mayo Clinic.

LUQING: I recently moved from Rochester to Arizona in January 2019. Andre, when did you move and where did you move from?

ANDRE: I am a transplant from the Arizona campus here to the Florida campus, and I transitioned in June 2018. Did you have any prior relationships with Arizona before you came down?

LUQING: I do have two colleagues in the same work department who recently moved from Rochester to Arizona. They've been enjoying their move, so they have been really helpful for me with the transition.

I think it's really exciting to be in a department that is a shared service, where we have sites not only in Rochester, Florida and Arizona, but also the health system. The other thing is there are so many exciting projects going on here in Arizona with Arizona Forward doubling the space at our Phoenix campus. I think there are a lot of interesting projects I can do as an engineer.

ANDRE: One of the things that was exciting about Florida was the rate of rapid growth and change, creating opportunities around a pretty novel role in research. We have some great opportunities available in Arizona, as well. But for this one, there were unique aspects for this assignment that were anchored to our center for individualized medicine, discovery and transitional sciences, as well as our clinical studies unit.

LUQING: One thing I'm really excited is warmer weather and another is a bigger metropolis compared to Rochester. I guess one thing I'm nervous about is how to have a new support system. In Rochester, I was there for a good 3½ years. I was really involved in the Mayo Employee Resource Group (MERG) in the community. Although I'm nervous for that aspect, I will find new support groups by participating in the MERG groups here and being involved in the community. That's really important for me — to not only be happy at work, but I need to make sure after work, I create a social life.

ANDRE: Having the opportunity to work with our MERGs to see where our folks are here locally, was important for me to get the lay of the land in Florida and to be able to connect with folks behind the three shields. We are an organization defined by our three shields, but behind those shields are people. I'm always mindful of connecting with as many people as possible. The MERGs are a great conduit for that.

Beyond Mayo, I'm a member of a few professional societies, so local representations have been helpful in terms of facilitating professional relationships and fostering relationships. It has been a phenomenal experience to be warmly welcomed from employees across the organization as I've gone out and both functioned professionally and even socially here in Florida.

LUQING: That's amazing. I think you kind of touch upon the benefits of the opportunities available to work across the nation or the same organization even though you're transitioning from one location to another. Your connections will carry out in different areas.

ANDRE: What would you offer up as advice for others who might consider making the move from one site to another?

LUQING: As you think about the new role you're going to take on, is it in the path of your career growth? And another thing is bigger environment. Do you think the new setting, the new region will be able to provide the things you enjoy outside of work? If you have a significant other or family, are they going to be happy to follow? Are they going to be happy with a new school, making new friends? That's a lot to consider. Me being by myself, it's much easier. I can just pack up my bag and go.

ANDRE: Making sure your family is squared away is a primary priority. My family is still in Arizona. They haven't fully relocated here in Florida. I have a 12-year-old and a 3-year-old at home I love very much and I miss immensely.

I think that our family as a whole has accepted this as a transitional phase. We know that this won't last forever. In fact, my son is thrilled that he gets to finish the school year and have one more season of football with his team. It's kind of a win-win for everybody as much as possible. But those are important considerations to be able to make in the short term as well as the long term.

LUQING: It's a team effort and family decisions to see whether you can take on the role and how you handle your family life along with your professional development.

ANDRE: What do you appreciate about your new location — my former stomping grounds?

LUQING: Being here in the winter is a blessing to not deal with the snow and shoveling. And one thing I appreciate is the great outdoors you can explore on hikes. I have my dog, and it's really dog-friendly over here. I can take my dog out for dinner and lunch, and hang out with friends at a brewery. I think another thing is that the Scottsdale and Phoenix area have amazing cuisines. Going to Mesa, you have much more international and ethnic cuisine over here.

ANDRE: It sounds like in the time frame you've been there, you've already cast a pretty wide net.

LUQING: Yeah, you just have to drive around. If there's no winter driving involved, I'm more than happy to drive around. How about you, Andre, what do you appreciate about the Florida campus?

ANDRE: Coming from the desert, I would say the green. There is a tremendous amount of greenery here. The humidity isn't bad, but it is different than the desert. And with humidity comes rain. I would say that it has rained more on me in the last nine months than it has in the last 10 years. I actually enjoy that. It's so different in the sense that I haven't been rained on in so long that I actually have to check the weather report. Other things I'm mindful of are the ocean. I enjoy the ocean. I enjoy scuba diving.

Travel is something that is still important, which is interesting. With the amount of miles I have logged here in the last few months, I appreciate home time and downtime. But since my time here, I have had an opportunity to go to Cuba and appreciate the opportunity to explore more of the Caribbean.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that I recognize hurricanes do and can occur here. If they do, I think I will be ready for it. I will be sure to ping all my Florida colleagues wondering what I need to do to prepare myself to not be swept away in a stiff breeze.

In the course of a Mayo career, where you start may not necessarily be where you end — whether it's a particular level of the organization or geographic location.

One of the things I want staff to be mindful of are opportunities beyond their local sites as they develop their Mayo career. From my perspective, this happens at all levels of the organization. It's an opportunity that we've seen in our most senior leadership.

NARRATOR: If you know someone who has relocated sites, reach out to them and welcome them to their new community. Take time to listen to their experiences and find out what excites them about their recent move.

HELPFUL LINKS