The Many Benefits of the Futures Program

Abstract

I must admit, my attendance of the Futures Program in 2013 felt like pure dumb luck. I received the AMDA Foundation Futures Educational Grant through the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association. I was not completely sure what the program entailed, but I knew I wanted to learn more about the environment I loved working in — nursing homes. When introductions were made during the Wednesday evening reception, I recall being one of two nurse practitioners among my cohort. Initially, I was a little intimidated, but then as the evening and subsequent days went on I felt completely accepted. During that Wednesday reception, all the Futures participants played a game where we picked a shape and then broke into cohorts based on that shape. I do not recall the shape anymore, but I do recall that I was only one of three individuals out of the whole cohort to choose that shape. I really enjoyed meeting those colleagues and learning their stories about why they chose to go into geriatric medicine. One of the many benefits of the Futures program is networking. Four geriatric fellows and I continued to have regular conversations outside our Futures education sessions, and I keep in touch with two of those individuals to this day. They are both now certified medical directors and working in the post-acute and long-term care setting. Another benefit of this program is the guidance and leadership set forth by those providers who support the Futures program. For example, Cari Levy, MD, CMD, was the Futures Program co-chair when I participated in the program, and I now have the privilege of collaborating with her on the NP/PA Advisory Council for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. She has provided valuable education in defining the long-term care continuum and the role of the medical director. I was not familiar with all the responsibilities of the medical director before this program, and this education has helped me not only to better understand my medical director colleagues but also to appreciate the role they serve. I have found great collaborators and educators among medical directors because I better understand their purpose and function within the nursing home. Additionally, this program provided me with my first leadership training. Daniel Swagerty, MD, MPH, talked about the importance of effective leadership, and I continue to agree with his point regarding communication with team members to “establish trust with candor, transparency and credit.” The content from that lecture provided tangible examples of how to be a leader and support our colleagues working in PALTC. Leadership is an abstract concept and learned skill, so I found value in starting this conversation early in my career. Lastly, the curriculum covered crucial concepts to know about PALTC. Although my nurse practitioner program provided a great foundation, the Futures program went deeper into Medicare benefits, understanding risk management, surveys and F-tags, quality indicators, and the roles of providers working in PALTC. I am so thankful that I participated in this program and would strongly encourage experienced PALTC providers to support the program and encourage novice PALTC providers to go through it. Dr. Nalls is the Director of Education for Capital Caring Health (CCH), where she collaborates with all service lines to meet their educational needs as well as provides wound care consults to CCH patients in their home environment.