CHARLOTTE, N.C. (News Release) – In a healthcare environment, quality care starts with having outstanding teammates working with patients. Atrium Health values its workforce and how they deliver care and that is being recognized by the American Academy of PA’s (AAPA) Center for Healthcare Leadership (CHLM). Atrium Health has been selected as a 2020-2021 Employer of Excellence by the organization. The award program is designed to showcase organizations that have implemented practices that create positive work environments for physician assistants (PAs) and encourage collaborative healthcare provider teams. The program is the first and only PA-specific award program available to organizations.
Emily Bludov, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), looks up from an anesthesia machine in an operating room at Atrium Health’s Carolina’s Medical Center. (Photo Credit: Atrium Health)
“Atrium Health is one of the first in the nation to create a comprehensive, strategic approach for optimizing the role of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs),” said Dr. Scott Rissmiller, executive vice president and chief physician executive for Atrium Health. “We launched The Center for Advanced Practice in 2013 at Atrium Health as a way to support, educate and develop our APPs. In doing so, we had a vision of becoming the workplace of choice for APPs who are committed to delivering superior patient care. To be recognized as an Employer of Excellence at this early stage of building our program is a testament to the people leading it and the hard work of our teammates who have made it a success.”
Honorees for the Employer of Excellence Awards were selected based on five key drivers:
• Establishing a positive and supportive PA work environment.
• Providing opportunities for PAs to provide meaningful input that leads to positive organizational change.
• Keeping PAs informed about organizational activity and decisions.
• Involving PAs in leadership efforts to improve the quality of patient care.
• Creating processes for effective conflict management.
“The PA profession is one of the fastest-growing in the United States, and the importance of employer efforts to make the most of the PA workforce cannot be overstated,” said Lisa Gables, interim CEO of AAPA. “Especially in times like these, our country needs all healthcare providers working together to meet the demand for high-quality care, and the Employer of Excellence winners serve as outstanding examples of how organizations can establish modern, efficient workplaces that ensure patients the care they need.”
Nurse practitioners Laura McDowell (foreground) and Carley Chardukian and physician assistant Andy Lapenas engage in duties at workstations in the critical care unit of Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center. (Photo Credit: Atrium Health)
Atrium Health has become a national leader as the largest, most clinically diverse physician assistant and nurse practitioner (NP) fellowship. Its fellowship has graduated more than 260 PAs and NPs in 22 different specialties. Its strategic approach has advanced APPs by removing barriers, promoting career development, improving job satisfaction, and increasing employee retention.
The AAPA showcases its top place to work winners for a two-year period, which has proven to help healthcare systems enhance recruitment of highly qualified PAs, increase retention rates, and demonstrate the systems’ leadership in the
healthcare industry.
