Career stories usually focus on the moments people say yes to a new opportunity. Katie Gielata's story includes a moment when she had to say no.
As a Senior Beta Program Manager, Katie’s path to her current role has included customer implementations, technical training, sales engineering, program management, an MBA, professional certifications, and more than one unexpected pivot. It also included something many professionals experience but don't often talk about: stepping away from work when family needs you most.
Katie joined Omnicell in 2016 during an acquisition. Over the years, she built a career across several different teams before stepping away when family responsibilities became her priority. When she was ready to return to the workforce, she came back to Omnicell.
Today, she collaborates with engineers, product managers, healthcare customers, implementation teams, finance, and legal teams to bring new technology into real-world healthcare environments before it's released more broadly. Looking back, it's the combination of those experiences that has shaped how she thinks about work, leadership, and what makes an organization worth coming back to.
Following Curiosity
Katie didn't map out a career that would span implementation consulting, technical training, beta program management, and technical sales engineering.
"I've had an interesting career path in a lot of different roles that I never really had a plan for," Katie said. "In a way, it just happened."
What she did have was a willingness to learn. As opportunities came up, she asked questions, built relationships across the business, and took on work that expanded her understanding of both the technology and the healthcare organizations using it.
"Just being curious really led me, I think, to where I am today," she said. "I just dove in, tried to learn whatever I could, tried to meet whoever I could."
When Priorities Shifted
After more than a decade at Omnicell, Katie took on a caregiver role for family members while continuing to work full time. Eventually, the demands of caregiving reached a point where she couldn't do both.
"I truly just on a personal level couldn't manage all of that," she said. "For me, my family came first."
She first moved into a less demanding role outside the company before stepping away from work completely for several months to care for her grandfather during the final stages of his life.
The experience changed what she values in a workplace.
"I do think we all recognize everybody has stuff going on outside of work," Katie said. "I've never seen anyone think twice at Omnicell saying, 'Go get your kid from school. They're sick.'"
Having been through a season where work had to take a back seat, that kind of understanding isn't something she takes for granted.
Coming Back
Katie stayed in touch with former teammates and leaders after leaving the company, so when she was ready to return to work, Omnicell was one of the first places she considered.
She came back in early 2025 through a contract role on the training team before moving into a full-time position in R&D a few months later.
"I spent a lot of years here working with our healthcare partners, and I think healthcare technology is so important," she said. "I think for me, just the passion of the industry we're in is probably what led me back."
That mission was part of the draw, but so were the relationships she'd built over the years. Returning felt less like starting over and more like picking up where she'd left off.
Making an Impact Beyond the Office
Katie's commitment to learning and supporting others extends beyond her role at Omnicell.
Outside of work, she volunteers with organizations that support women entering or re-entering the workforce, participates in Alzheimer's and Lung Association events, and stays involved in women-in-technology communities in Pittsburgh.
Throughout her career, she's continued investing in her own growth as well, earning her MBA through Omnicell's tuition reimbursement program, maintaining her PMP certification, and participating in professional development opportunities. Her leaders encouraged that growth, even supporting dedicated study time and certification preparation.
For Katie, growth has always been about more than advancing professionally. It's about continuing to learn, contribute, and make an impact wherever she can.
Keeping the Patient at the Center
That sense of purpose is what continues to connect Katie to Omnicell's mission.
Whether she's collaborating with engineers, coordinating customer feedback, or helping validate new technology, she keeps the end goal in mind: helping healthcare providers deliver safer, more efficient care to patients.
"That is what we're all working towards — to have the best care available for that patient and have the best technology available for their caregivers."
For Katie, that mission is the thread connecting every chapter of her career: from staying with Omnicell through an acquisition, to exploring new opportunities, to stepping away when her family needed her, and eventually returning to a company where she knew she could continue making a difference.