Meet the Team - Sara Hobson

In today's Meet the Team post, you'll meet Sara Hobson, Vault's Vice President of Healthcare & Staffing. Sara has been with Vault for 7 years, and has helped grow and adapt our offering throughout the enormous amount of change that has occurred in that time. We had the opportunity to learn more about how Sara found herself at Vault, and why she is so passionate about working in the industry.

Hi Sara, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Can you tell our readers more about your background with Vault? 

I started at Vault 7 years ago supporting Business Development for our Recovery Management Services. About 6 months later, I was introduced to Workforce Screening which focuses on businesses and government entities that screen employees and prospective employees.  I had the opportunity to work with transportation companies, drug and alcohol treatment providers and staffing companies. I really fell in love with the work I got to do with staffing companies because that industry is so dynamic and constantly evolving.  

‍You worked as a drug and alcohol addiction counselor earlier in your career. How did you end working with Vault?

It probably seems like an odd career shift from counseling to sales but there is a lot of overlap. In my counseling role, I had interactions with Vault for drug testing of healthcare professionals in recovery monitoring programs. The research around drug testing to support long term recovery from addiction fascinated me. I had the opportunity to see firsthand how drug testing paired with counseling and development of other recovery resources equipped so many with the tools to maintain long term recovery. When one of my former colleagues let me know about a role on the Business Development team at Vault, I jumped at the opportunity. Mission is really important to me and I'm so grateful for the opportunity.

What makes you so passionate about this industry?

Screening has so many intricacies, from the labs, to the clinics, applicant interactions with the portal and then throw in changing laws around testing, screening and the pandemic. In my 7 years at Vault, I have learned a ton and feel like I’m frequently saying, “Wow, learned something new!” The work I get to do alongside our clients to figure out how best to support their screening needs feels like piecing a puzzle together. There are so many different configurations, drug screen panel options and background screening packages. It takes time to see all the pieces and strategy to figure out where everything goes. When the work is finally complete and the system is configured, it is amazing to see the pieces come together.  

What are some common frustrations and/or misconceptions employers have about background and drug screening programs and policies?

Navigating the ever changing requirements around drug testing particularly within healthcare staffing. Facilities have all sorts of different testing requirements that can make it confusing to determine the right drug screen panel to run. Throw in the changes with marijuana testing in states like New York where employers are prohibited from testing it and it presents some big challenges around training new team members in Compliance or Human Resources. Just when you think something is easy to understand, it changes again. It will be interesting to see what drug testing looks like in 10 years as the legalization of marijuana expands across the country.

What are some trends you have noticed from employers since the pandemic? Anything new or different?

The pandemic brought on a significant surge in hiring needs across many industries like healthcare staffing and retail. Because of this, employers had to figure out ways to make the candidate screening process simple and provide their team with tools that are intuitive enough to easily navigate hiring large numbers of individuals in short timeframes. Healthcare staffing compliance is very nuanced because of the various health screening needs like titers, TB testing, drug testing and respirator fit testing. Unlike regulated drug testing where the same drugs and cut off levels are used, healthcare staffing companies can have anywhere from a handful to upwards of 100+ different drug screen panel variations, which makes the learning curve steep for Compliance and Operations Support.  

The other trend is the transition to more of a remote presence. When I started at Vault over 7 years ago, I worked from home and that was more of the exception and not the norm. Although there is shifting back to the office, the occurrence of remote screening needs is far more prevalent post pandemic.

How has Vault helped address these trends you’ve noticed?

Navigating the drug screen panel difference has long been a challenge for healthcare staffing companies but it became even more pronounced during the pandemic when Compliance teams were crunched for time to get these much needed healthcare professionals into hospitals and long term care facilities. For many years, Vault has been building a library of thousands (and counting) drug screen panels with details about the drugs tested. From this, our Product Team was able to build within the ordering platform a way for our clients to search for drug screen panels by drug name. Takes the guess work out of translating the requirements of a healthcare facility to a drug screen panel in our system. This has been a game changer for our clients.

Vault long has supported employers with testing needs all over the country. As the need for national testing has increased with more remote hiring, Vault has added clinics to our network, expanded coverage for drug testing using electronic chain of custody forms, added capability for remote I-9 completion and built out a tool to ship respirator fit masks for fit testing of healthcare professionals anywhere in the country. Our team has done amazing work to enhance our platform as the needs for employers has shifted.

Ok, we’ve talked a lot about work. What else are you passionate about?

I have a passion for organizing, party planning and spending time with my 4 sons and husband. You can catch me on the sidelines cheering on my kids, the local Costco (love picking up a pizza at the end of the grocery shop – easy dinner), sneaking in an early morning workout, listening to a book on tape or spending time with family and friends. It is a busy time but I can’t imagine my life any other way.

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About Sara

Sara Hobson is an experienced Enterprise Sales Executive with comprehensive knowledge of background checks, drug testing and occupational health screening. She has a passion for learning about the unique challenges of businesses when it comes to screening new hires to help identify resources to make the process easier. Her current role has allowed her the opportunity to work with many great thought leaders within the healthcare staffing industry to help drive strategic initiatives for product enhancement. With educational background in both business and counseling, Sara utilizes skills in active listening and training in understanding intricate processes to help prospects and current clients develop plans that will drive businesses towards their goals.

Connect with Sara on LinkedIn

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