In my 15 years in medical field, I have never found fulfilment in a role more than I do in my position here at Vanderbilt. I joined the team in Lebanon a few months prior to Vanderbilt taking ownership, in the following year I became the APP lead. Since then, I have had the opportunity to grow with Vanderbilt and am the APP manager for all three regional ERs (VTHH, VBCH, and VWCH). My role provides a unique ability to not only be able to lead the regional ER APP team, but to also provide clinical care in all 3 regional facilities’ emergency departments. In addition to my leadership and clinical roles, I also have been a part of the team that developed and started the Emergency Medicine Advanced Practice Fellowship program which allows APPs to receive clinical and didactic training to be skilled and proficient clinicians within the specialty.
Although the role has come with many opportunities and tremendous growth, it has also been met with challenges. When Vanderbilt transitioned to regional emergency medicine we had a team of 3 APPs, we have now grown to over 25 APPs in the regional ERs. We have built a program that values and supports the role of the APP. This vast expansion in a short timeframe requires persistence and unwavering work-ethic. Staffing, payroll, competitive compensation, development of policies and procedures, education, quality, and processes have been immense areas of growth. Being able to integrate existing VUMC resources that are present at main campus with those that we create that are more applicable to the community setting has required patience and persistence.
Overall, the growth and development that has occurred since Vanderbilt entered the regional emergency departments is what I am most proud of. Working alongside Dr Nate Miller and Dr Scott Frankenfield in regional leadership, we have developed care teams in 3 emergency departments which provides care to over 6,500 patients every month. Any time I have a significant challenge, I reflect on where we were 5 years ago to be able to have perspective of how much we have succeeded. I am very excited for the future of APPs within the regional ERs, the implementation of the APP fellowship program will continue to cultivate a learning environment that allows APPs to grow and practice to the full extent of our license that provide high quality patient centered care. The team of APPs in the regional ERs truly has a positive impact on our patients and communities.
When not working, I am a mom of a six and an eight-year-old that keep me running as much as the ER does. My husband and I recently completed building our home that is in the middle of the woods outside of Westmoreland, TN. We love doing anything outdoors - hiking, maintaining our land, camping, kayaking, and going to the lake. 