IHG invests heavily in the training and development of every member of its team. From our unique, intensive orientation through continuing annual education, to every day mentoring from our top-class clinicians and administrators, we support you all the way to the top of your profession.
With “empowering our people” to the forefront of our mission, Inspiring takes employee benefits seriously. We go toe-to-toe with our big corporate competitors, offering three weeks’ paid vacation to beginning employees, in addition to dental, vision, fully-paid employee health insurance, short and long term disability – even life insurance. We’ve just added a 401k with employer match, and continue to look for ways in which we can serve our employees even better.
I am a Patient Care Specialist, which means I am administrative support for the Athens clinical team.
Hospice is a wonderful resource for those who are within the final stages of life. It is heartwarming to witness our staff rendering compassionate care to those individuals who are at their most vulnerable.
It’s difficult to choose one person I admire over another. I’ll choose a character that I cannot get enough of: Snoopy, my cartoon hero! Who else could have a bird as a best friend, cook a turkey for Thanksgiving, play a standup bass, and fight the Red Baron from the top of his doghouse? Charles Schultz knocked it out of the park when he created Snoopy.
Most people do not know that I have some musical talent. Don’t ask me to sing unless you want to hear 1,000 cats screaming but I can play the clarinet, saxophone, and flute.
Oh, the thing that makes me most happy when I’m not working…shoe shopping. Shoes truly are like chocolate for the feet! I do my best thinking while trying on the different styles. There’s nothing that can’t be solved over a good pair of shoes…or two.
The golden rule – always do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Smile, even when you don’t have reason to. Eventually that smile will stick.
I am one of the Social Service Workers at High Desert Hospice. It is my responsibility to help our patients and their families deal with psychosocial issues. This includes completing a social assessment with the patient/family, developing an individualized care plan for the patient, and helping to coordinate in-home services and placement, when needed. In addition, I work with community partners to obtain other supportive services for our patients/families.
I am often asked, “how can you stand working with people that are dying all day?” My response to them is always the same. It is my privilege to help patients and their families go through one of the most difficult times in their life. Both of my parents passed away while using hospice services, and I know the support provided to our family during that time was so helpful. Throughout our lives, we plan for everything. We look forward to what we will be when we grow up. We look forward to graduating from college, getting married, having children, etc. When it comes to death, people do not want to talk about it and rarely does anyone plan for it. My part of the hospice team is to help our patient/family plan for what will come and develop coping strategies to get through it. The best part of my job is visiting with my patients/families, learning about their lives, and helping them to feel at peace in the passing.
I have a handful of people that I admire very much, but one person that rises above all others is my mom. She taught me to always do my best, to be honest, and to put others before myself. She found joy in serving others, and that had a substantial influence on me.
I enjoy writing and have even had a few pieces published.
If you do your VERY best, then that is enough!
I love spending time with my husband and two sons. We like to ride 4-wheelers, travel, go to the movies, watch all kinds of sporting events, and just hang out together.
I am a Patient Care Manager and an RN. I supervise the team and the clinical care of our hospice patients. I assist with managerial tasks such as training and on-boarding, supply ordering, and scheduling. I also have a small number of patients for whom I am the primary nurse.
I wanted the opportunity to practice nursing in an organic way without many of the constraints that are necessary within other healthcare formats. I wanted to find a way to meet people where they were at and to try to positively impact others without trying to change or manipulate people or situations. Once I had worked in hospice for a little while, I realized that it was one of the most raw and true ways to practice nursing and to serve others, and I can’t see being a nurse in any other field.
I have been blessed to know and work with many wonderful, intelligent, and special people throughout my life. Two people whom I look up to and greatly admire are my parents. I respect their commitment to each other, to their family, and to what they believe to be right. I admire that they work hard and are constantly improving themselves and the world that they live in. They love big, have fun, and take care of others. They are also two people that I enjoy spending time with and who I hope to emulate.
I love learning new things and picking up new skills. Some of my hobbies that most people don’t know about include throwing an AtlAtl, target shooting, snowboarding, wakeboarding, speed reading, organizing, and mushroom hunting.
Trying new things with my big family or napping near the ocean with my baby daughter.
I have always quite liked, “fac fortia et patere” or “do brave deeds and endure”. It seems to me that it captures a high ideal but is also clearly actionable on a daily basis.
My official title is Patient Care Specialist. I like to think that my title is the epitome of my job duties. I specialize in coordinating patient care. I help to coordinate just about everything that a patient may need. If a patient needs medical equipment, extra visits, medication refills, or if they need to talk to a nurse, then I coordinate with our staff to get these needs met. I also handle a lot of the paperwork portion of hospice i.e. orders, certifications, and records.
I learned about the services that hospice provides at a very young age. I saw the comfort that hospice brought to my family and me after losing a wave of close family members in a very short time. My mother always told me how she hoped to volunteer for hospice one day, just to be a part of hospice was always a goal of hers. So, when I heard there was an opening at Heart of Hospice, a position that I was qualified for, it seemed meant to be…like divine intervention.
While it may sound cliché, someone I truly admire is my dad. He may not be my father by blood, but he is my father in every other sense of the word. When he was a young boy, he fell in to a bonfire on his parents’ farm. He went through numerous skin grafts (mostly to his face) and never let it slow him down. Hearing how he overcame the many struggles related to that fire, really inspired me and taught me important life lessons. Two of the most important lessons he taught me are – do not let what others think of you define you, and to never stop seeking knowledge. Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools to have, so never stop learning.
I am currently working towards my Master’s degree in Health Care Administration. I do not usually have a lot of extra time to develop hidden talents. My homework dominates many of my weekends, as my assignments are typically due on Mondays. Needless to say, if anyone needs a PowerPoint presentation done, or an essay written…. I am your girl!
When I am not working, or stuck under a pile of homework, I love to be on my paddleboard. It’s like a form of meditation for me. There’s just this feeling I get once my board hits the water…. It dissolves all of my worries.
The pursuit of knowledge is never-ending. The day you stop seeking knowledge is the day you stop growing.
-Brandon Travis Ciaccio