You’ve heard the idea of family first, but for Texas Children’s practice managers and sisters, Heidi Howard-Jircik and Hannah Conley, patients are the priority and colleagues are the top concern.
The sisters had a good feeling about Texas Children’s early on. “Our mom worked in a call center in what used to be the FM 1960 practice…she thought it was the right place to start,” explained Heidi. Since joining Texas Children’s in the early 2000s, Heidi in 2003 and Hannah in 2007, the siblings have served in a variety of dayshift and nightshift roles – before taking positions as Practice Managers of TCP Heights (Heidi) and TCP Cypresswood (Hannah).
When asked how the sisters could be so well-suited for their roles, Heidi responded, “We both have real compassion for people. We work towards common goals, and we genuinely care about our team members.”
Hannah shared a secret to their success, “It’s really nice to have each other to bounce ideas off of. We shared a team-building idea, for example, the Saran wrap game. You wrap small gifts – goodies – in Saran wrap, in layers – building in more small gifts as you go – then pass the wrapped gifts around while you’re wearing oven mitts! It was great. The staff seemed to really enjoy it.”
Whether they are talking on the phone after work or getting together on the weekends, these close sisters enjoy sharing professional advice and brainstorming best practices. Yes, other family members ask them to stop talking about work from time to time, but the sisters revel in their bond and their roles. For Heidi, “It’s nice to have my sister in the same hospital system.” Hannah reveals, “I’m honored. My heart is here.”
Texas Children’s is just as proud to have this family… in our family.
