Should I be doing other things that would be more beneficial? 100%. However, I want to write this before I come off this high of gratitude that I am riding.
It has been quite a while since I have written. So long, that I actually kind of forgot I had a blog on here.
Hi, I'm Jennie. Over twenty years ago, I hurt my back and landed in physical therapy a few times. They were amazing. Even they said I basically just needed massages. Why couldn't my insurance just cover massages and my PCP prescribe them? Made sense to me.
That was the very beginning. I became an EMT to get hands on patient experience with the focus of being a "provider". I say it that way because I thought I was going to be a PA. I am from small-town USA (everyone knows everyone). I ran into a family friend -also the mother of a friend/acquaintance and the mother of my cousin's best friend (hey, Janice!)- in our local grocery store -ShopRite- and she told me I needed to be a Nurse Practitioner. I had never heard of an NP before this conversation.
I moved to northern Virginia for my BSN. Moved to the peninsula for a job. Wide-eyed, I listened to and observed everything my preceptor said, did, how she juggled, how she treated people. I still call her my Mama Duck (poor Lorraine, I followed that closely) and I still listen to everything she tells me to do. After about a year of being a bedside Emergency Nurse, I went to ODU for my Masters and got hired on by the same group I worked along side for nearly 5 years as a nurse. I went into leadership, added more letters behind my name and completed my Doctorate in Nursing Practice at ODU.
In November of 2019, I filled out the paperwork to create Alive and Thriving Healthcare, LLC. I was ready to leave Emergency Medicine but I just couldn't jump ship yet. This worked in my favor because there was this thing called a lockdown and Covid.
It wasn't until November 2022 that I signed a lease for the clinic. Life was life-ing and there were a million reasons not to, but someone gave me a chance and gave ATH a chance to exist. Not everything was in place, there was always a reason not to, but like pulling off a Band-Aid... we opened the doors on February 1, 2023.
Jackie and Nikki were two RNs that I hired and signed on knowing that this could go haywire. Krista, also a RN, volunteered her time and her children to set up the clinic and to help in any way she could without being a paid employee.
Our focused changed based on what people were asking for. We pivoted when needed and kept growing. It seems so long ago and also just like yesterday. Somewhere, somehow, since then we added staff:
Melissa NP, Kaitlyn LME, Karly RN, Kim DO, Sydney LE and Nikki became a NP, graduating with her Doctorate.
We have not been back to the beer festival -there was a supply issue- but continue to get involved and support the community. We have showed up to support Meals on Wheels and Here 4 the Girls. We have done collections, made connections for our patients/clients and even found a dog a home.
On March 1, we are pivoting again and offering a Membership. To celebrate 3 years, to say thank you to everyone who has supported us and to launch our new Membership... we held an Open House.
It rained. A lot. My car didn't start the morning of. I had patients in the morning. The balloons I ordered weren't ready for pick-up when they were supposed to be. Everything that could have gone wrong.... did.
Kaitlyn did her thing. She just knows how to get things done with little to know direction. Everyone showed up to change into our new scrubs (embroidered by Karly) and to get ready. The office looked like we were prepping for a dance recital, cheer competition or some major girlie event. I didn't have time to "give jobs" or to explain what needed to be done during the event.
We had a professional photographer. She came early to do her thing. Four of us worked with her mother about 10 years ago in the ER. Her mother posted a brand shoot Olivia did recently. We knew of Olivia as a little kid. She is all grown now, quite the professional, holds a Masters degree in Art Therapy and is her whole own person. The photos are perfect.
The event went off without a hitch. Every person was hired because of character, expertise and professionalism with a kick of quirkiness. ATH's business plan from 2022 has been thrown out the window. They know the vision. They are experts in what they do- both in skill and knowledge. We work off of vibes. A vision and vibes. And it's working.
Post event in the office. This captured the vibe of the moment. The chaos, the exhaustion, the gratefulness.
Here is everyone (minus Nikki because of her Hospitalist job).
Jackie, Nikki and Krista are still around. We have added more experts. Who know where this adventure in Medicine and Aesthetics will take us. My goal is to continue to provide the best care, services, knowledge and support to our patients, clients and community.
ATH looks different than a "doctors office" or med spa. We know that. That's on purpose.
Cheers to never fitting into a box and to forever being Alive and Thriving!
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