Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Tiffany Kelley, Founder and CEO of iCare Nursing Solutions, located in Boston, MA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business's name is iCare Nursing Solutions. iCare is the combination of 'informatics' with the 'care' in nursing. Nursing is the science of caring, and informatics is a specialty practice essential to nursing today. The integration of health information technology (IT) and informatics with nursing and healthcare delivery is an art and a science. At a very high level, health IT design and implementation must be driven by nurses' and healthcare professionals' needs to optimize information needs. To be able to sustain this, we need more nurses (and healthcare professionals) to have this perspective, knowledge, and abilities to execute in this way for the benefit of their peers and their patients.

Our clients are nurses who are practicing in the specialty field of informatics or looking to develop their education in this area. Additionally, we work with companies of all sizes (small businesses to publicly traded companies) to support their health IT design, development, and implementation needs. Companies often are looking for expertise on how to design for the clinical user, given the available functionality. Informatics nurses bridge that gap that exists between two very different disciplines to form a solution that can lead to clinical use that is effective, safe, efficient, equitable, timely, and patient-centered (e.g., quality care).

Tell us about yourself

My name is Tiffany Kelley, and I am the Founder and CEO of iCare Nursing Solutions. I founded iCare in 2015 in response to requests I was receiving for my informatics and health IT expertise in consulting and educational program development. At the time, I had over 12 years of nursing informatics and health IT experience. I had completed my Ph.D. in nursing informatics from Duke University and had just finished writing a book on electronic health records. I did not recognize it at the time, but creating iCare was a natural extension of my knowledge, expertise, and abilities to support the needs of others in healthcare. I am motivated by challenges and seeking to overcome them. This applies to all areas of my life. More specifically to iCare, I am motivated by the need for health IT solutions that support care delivery and individuals who can advocate for such approaches. That perspective and motivation fuel how I consult with clients and how educational programs are developed for effective learning and professional development.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I would say that at this time, my biggest accomplishment is being able to recognize the needs of others in their actions, concerns, and frustrations that can be translated into products and services to provide effective solutions in the specialty area of informatics and health information technology (HIT). Then, when I can see our clients reach their desired outcomes and/or successes, I know that we are making a positive impact, one by one.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is that there is always more you can do. That can feel overwhelming, as if you cannot catch up with your vision in the time frame you would like to see it be a reality. I know I have so many ideas for how we can build and grow iCare. However, I also know that not everything can be done at once. Finding the balance of your ideas with operationalization is a continued challenge. However, the more you are aware, the more you can develop realistic goals for a specific timeframe (whether a day, month, year or more).

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Three tips that I would give to anyone who is looking to start runs and grow a business today would be to:

  1. Trust your instincts when making key decisions for your business. There will be times when you do not have data to indicate which direction to go. At that point, you will need to rely on your instincts.
  2. Find people who support your vision, even if they, at first, do not fully understand.
  3. Listen to your clients and make it easy for them to work with you.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I thank you for the opportunity to share a bit about myself and iCare Nursing Solutions with your audience.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.icarenursingsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iCareNursingSolutions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icarenursingsolutions/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icare-nursing-solutions-llc/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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