Providers, staff share why they choose Gifford
Like hospitals and health systems across the country, Gifford faces challenges recruiting providers and staff members to work in our rural area. So what makes someone choose Gifford over a larger institution? Why make a life in small-town Vermont over, say, bustling Boston?
We believe it’s because of our strong sense of community and commitment to providing access to high-quality, personalized health care; clinical leadership and opportunities, unique for an organization of our size; and the allure of living in the Green Mountain State, home of ski slopes and farm-to-table dining and craft beer. But we wanted to know for certain, so we started asking employees across our organization, those who’ve been here for many years but also newer recruits. Then we launched a social media campaign, titled “Who We Are,” to share their answers with our greater community.
Everyone who participates in the campaign is asked the same questions, from the lighter – What is your favorite outdoor activity? What are some fun facts about you? – to the more professional – Why do you choose to work here? What do you find most rewarding? Here’s what they said, in part:
Derek Chase, MD (Orthopedics)
Why Gifford: Because of the level of personalized care we are able to give patients — everyone on our team, from pre-op to recovery, is really tight — and the food is the best!
Most rewarding part of my job: Getting people back to doing whatever they love doing. I see everyone from 20-month-olds to 103-year-olds.
Crystal Whitaker (Human Resources)
Why Gifford: Gifford is a good representation of who I am, as far as the community-based sense of comfort, even family, that it brings. Gifford is critical to this area, to the people who live here, and I want to support that.
Most rewarding part of my job: I have a lot of respect for my colleagues and the work that happens here. If I can make their lives easier by doing what I do, it gives me satisfaction.
Ulrika ‘Uli’ Strassberger, RN (Emergency Department)
Why Gifford: I was born here, just upstairs. And it really is a family here. We all get along and work closely together.
Most rewarding part of my job: I love helping people.
Dani Sweet, RN (Pediatrics)
Why Gifford: I love the family atmosphere. Gifford is a community and we all know each other’s names and support one another. Having friends at work every day enables me to be a better nurse and provide quality care to all my patients and their families.
Most rewarding part of my job: Getting to know all the children and their families. I do a lot of phone triage and I love it when I can talk to a parent and help them, whether that is getting them an appointment, or simply listening to them. When you get to know your patients and their stories, it’s easier to relate to them and a trust is developed, and that is a real privilege. Patients want to know people care about them and their families, and we do. I can honestly say I enjoy coming to work every day. I’m very lucky to get paid to do this job.
Marcelo Reyes (Patient Registration)
Why Gifford: The small, family feel. Everybody knows each other’s name. When I walk home from work, everyone waves.
Most rewarding part of my job: Trying to touch people’s lives—helping as best I can to meet their needs at what might be a difficult time, making them smile, and making their experience less hectic.
Betina Barrett-Gallant (Provider Practice and Recruitment)
Why Gifford: I live here, and I have this place in my heart because of my connection through my dad (Dr. Richard Barrett, a longtime Gifford physician who passed away in 1987). And I sincerely adore the people I work with.
Most rewarding/challenging part of my job: There’s always something new and different happening; I’m not locked into one thing. Most challenging is recruiting, because it can be tough to find people who want this lifestyle. You have to embrace our commitment to this small-town community or it won’t work.
Michelle Wade, APRN (Hospitalist)
Why Gifford: It’s a nice, small-town, family environment where everyone helps everybody when you need something.
Most rewarding part of my job: Taking people from admission, when they are really sick, to watching them go home feeling better.
Terrie Farnham, RN
Why Gifford: My philosophy aligns with Gifford’s. It’s an environment that allows us to effect positive change. I thrive on that.
Most rewarding part of my job: My colleagues. I think every colleague I work with is an asset to this organization. Also, I love being able to break stereotypes, and break down barriers, and I feel that this is a culture that welcomes that.
Dennis C. McLaughlin (Facilities)
Why Gifford: I like the small community and being able to communicate with the entire organization instead of just one department.
Most rewarding part of my job: Being able to help all staff and clients — helping to make sure that everybody’s experience is safe.
Rachel Coombs, MD (Primary Care)
Why Gifford: Here we have the most powerful sense of community and commitment to health and wellness as I have ever seen, and here I truly believe that I can help improve the health and wellness of Vermonters.
Most rewarding part of my job: Empowering patients by helping them connect with their strength.
View the full campaign and hear more from our employees by following Gifford on Facebook.
New Faces
Gifford continued to address provider vacancies in 2019. We welcomed several new team members who share our dedication to the health and wellness of central Vermonters and who see themselves at a small, community hospital for the long haul.
Erica Schleif
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Erica S. Golden Schleif joined the Behavioral Health team. She brings to her role more than 10 years of experience as a mental health counselor, both in private practice and as a community-based therapist. She provides clinical support for a range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and postpartum depression, and has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, families, and new mothers. From the Boston area, Erica was drawn to Gifford following a family move back to the area—her husband was born in Tunbridge—and looks forward to “really being part of a community,” she said, “and getting some chickens.”
Bryan Smith
Bryan Smith, MD, joined the team as a hospitalist. An internal medicine physician, he has practiced hospital medicine for the better part of his career. He brings to his role at Gifford more than 20 years of experience, including most recently as clinical director of medicine at Palmerston North Hospital in New Zealand, as well as a commitment to providing the highest-quality care to all patients: “I think of the practice of medicine as a calling and access to excellent health care to be a fundamental human right. Because each of my patients historically has entrusted their care, and in many cases their lives, to me, I really am honored by this and indebted to them, and obligated to be the kind of doctor I would wish to have caring for me or my loved ones.” His clinical interests include endocrinology, especially diabetes management; cardiovascular disease, particularly the management of congestive heart failure; and sepsis. He also is deeply committed to end-of-life and palliative services.
Julie Poulin
Psychiatrist Julie Poulin, MD, PhD, joined the Behavioral Health team. She brings to her role several years of experience in health care, most recently as medical director of psychiatric services and attending psychiatrist at Rutland Regional Medical Center. At Gifford, Dr. Poulin said she looks forward to providing mental health treatment to outpatients, “where I can really follow their progress. It is a privilege to be able to know people’s stories, and I know it really helps to have someone listen.” Her approach to psychiatry is neurobiological but also considers psychosocial factors that impact health, such as “people’s past experiences, their environment, and choices they’ve made.”
Penny Fossman
Nurse Practitioner Penny Fossman joined the Behavioral Health team, providing medication management services at the medical center. Penny brings to her role several years of experience in health care, most recently as a registered nurse and volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) in her native Alaska. She also recently completed a number of clinical practicums in mental health during which she worked with clients in both inpatient and outpatient settings in Alaska and Washington state. A champion of small-town living, Penny is passionate about ensuring access to high-quality care in rural areas: “I chose Gifford mostly for the community. We wanted to be somewhere that has a strong sense of community. I feel this hospital has that feel, and so does the town. That was important to me. I grew up in a small town.”
