From Bingo to Certified Medical Director: How the Futures Program Helped Solidify My Journey

Abstract

I first stepped into a nursing home when I was six years old. My mother was a certified nursing assistant who always worked 12-hour shifts. Since my father was also working, sometimes she had no choice but to have the bus drop me off at the long-term care facility where she worked. On those days I would sit in the dining hall with the residents who were under my mother’s care. I vividly remember playing bingo and poker with them. Those memories, glimpses of a moment in time, became the foundation for my career. Pursuing a geriatric medicine fellowship was an easy decision for me. During my interview with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Presbyterian–Shadyside, I expressed an interest in post-acute and long-term care settings. That was when I first heard of the Futures Program, an opportunity that immediately appealed to me. I wanted to spend more time improving the ways that we care for our most vulnerable populations, and I also wanted to seek guidance and support for becoming a certified medical director. And after two years under a pandemic, I looked forward to an in-person conference! When we gathered in Baltimore, MD, at the 2022 Annual Conference of AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, I felt invigorated by the small group sessions, the Q&As, and the larger events that Futures Program participants could take part in. It was rewarding just to be in the same room with so many people who shared my passion for this field, and the learning opportunities were seemingly endless. Throughout the conference I looked for pieces of advice that could follow me back to UPMC. Wayne Saltzman, MD, PhD, CMD, delivered an excellent presentation in which he asked us to remember five simple rules that would help us prevent adverse events. At one point in his presentation Dr. Saltzman said, “A good day starts with a good morning,” and that has stuck with me. He spoke of entering his facility at the start of busy days, and despite challenging situations, he said he always will take time to wish his staff a good morning. Since then, I have introduced myself to more of the staff at our nursing home, which has fostered better communication and better overall care. The leadership session, hosted by Suzanne Gillespie, MD, RD, CMD, and Elizabeth Galik, PhD, CRNP, opened my eyes to how many mentors had already helped me get to this point. It was then that I truly understood how the Futures Program gives rising clinical leaders in geriatrics a chance to find new mentors. Drs. Gillespie and Galik also asked us to reflect on our goals and values and consider how we bring them into the work that we do. In doing so, I was reminded of the little girl who enjoyed sitting with the residents, the one who went on to become a medical student and physician who spent all her electives in PALTC. Joining the Futures Program felt like a natural fit. I left that session with a solidified goal: become a certified medical director but never lose sight of that bingo-playing little girl. I could not be more thankful for the foundation that the Futures Program provides for us, and for the friendships and connections it has helped me make. I look forward to getting more involved with the Society very soon! Dr. Assadzandi is a graduate of Mercyhurst University and West Virginia University School of Medicine, where she also completed her family medicine residency. This June, she is finishing a fellowship with UPMC’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and will then join the department as a clinical assistant professor focusing on post-acute and long-term care.