There’s Joy in the PA/LTC Journey, Says Outgoing Society President

Abstract

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS — In her address at the Friday morning General Session at AMDA – the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine’s Annual Conference, Society Immediate Past President Heidi White, MD, CMD, welcomed new members and stressed how the Society has responded to continuing changes in PA/LTC. “This has been a year of enrichment,” Dr. White said. “I’ve been enriched by all of you, visiting you at state and regional meetings, enriched by our board, they bring so much energy, and it’s been wonderful to work with them and advocate with them on Capitol Hill.” Part of the job as the public face of the Society is to meet with the leaders of other health care organizations, and Dr. White said she had enjoyed that part of her role. “It’s been wonderful to interact with other leaders; I kept crossing paths with Debra Saliba from the American Geriatrics Society, and Katherine Evans, the president of [Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association]. A lot of what you get to do as president of this organization is to be a voice and collaborate with other like-minded organizations. And I’ve enjoyed working with Cari Levy; we’ve worked together for so many years.” Dr. White described a trip she made to the South Dakota regional chapter, where they gave her a book called Dakota: a Spiritual Geography. The book resonated with her and brought her full circle back to the Society’s efforts to navigate the changing PA/LTC landscape. “I really learned about the plains and the heartland, and the beauty of this environment, the beauty of these people and their culture, and I learned how they navigated change. Kathleen Norris explained that outsiders like me think [these] people live in the middle of nowhere, but they believe very deeply that they’re in the middle of the world,” she said. “This is like the Society. The medical community thinks they’re in the middle of nowhere, but we’re in the middle of the world. We get to take care of the people who really matter, who have a lot of complexity. We can work with the IDT team, professionals, the best residents and families … we’re not opening clogged arteries and transplanting organs, but we’re doing really important, fundamental work.” The Society has been making progress in enlightening the medical community and the public about its purpose. Dr. White acknowledged the Society’s efforts to tell its story with its We Are PA/LTC campaign. “We have been learning to tell our story this year, stories of NPs, CNAs, family, social workers. It’s really important that we tell our story well to the rest of the medical community,” she said. Dr. White offered a round-up of Society initiatives over the year, with an appreciative nod to the volunteers who work with the organization. “We have more products and resources, new pocket guides, an advance care planning discussion guide, new teaching slide decks, and a template for antibiotic stewardship policies,” she said. She pointed out the Innovations IPAC and the subsequent launch of the AMDA On-the-Go podcast, as well as the Shark Tank competition. Collaboration with other organizations has been important for the Society’s growth, Dr. White said. The spirit of collaboration has spread to the Society’s membership as well. Noting the decreasing physician membership, she welcomed nurse practitioners and physician assistants into the Society as full members, and lauded the addition of the Practice Group Network. “As a result of that, we’ve announced the Pioneer Practice Group network members from American Senior Communities, Genesis, Integrated Rehab Consultants, Midwest Geriatrics, Symbria, and TeamHealth,” she said. Finally, Dr. White spoke of an encouraging initiative with the National Academy of Medicine to help overburdened and time-strapped PA/LTC clinicians. “We decided we needed to work with the National Academy of Medicine on their action collaborative on clinician well-being and resilience,” Dr. White said. “We want to avoid burnout and stay healthy so we can do good work.” Carey Cowles is the managing editor of Caring for the Ages.