Meet Truly Together Physician Assistant Ladise Everett

This post is part of a blog series highlighting Northwell Health’s Advanced Clinical Providers (ACP). Each Northwell Health employee was nominated by their manager as an individual who exemplifies a Northwell Health value.

This month, we’re proud to introduce to you Ladise Everett who currently works as a physician assistant in the Department of Medicine at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH). Read below to learn more about her and her journey as an ACP at Northwell Health.

When Ladise was younger, she always dreamt of working as a caregiver, and when she got to college she realized that a career as a physician assistant was her true calling. Her desire for work/life balance and a family played a huge role in leading her to a career at Northwell at NSUH, where she has worked since 2005 as a physician assistant (PA).

While working within the Department of Medicine, Ladise spends a lot of her time providing care to admitted patients in the Emergency Department (ED).  “I feel that I have an amazing job in the ED as a PA because you have the ability to help impact immediate positive change for patients and change outcomes,” says Ladise. 

During her time at Northwell, she also has taken on many large projects which has showcased her approach to leadership. Others describe Ladise as a leader who always recognizes every team member on each project, large or small, with a smile and a heart to help. They know her infectious and positive attitude is just one of the many reasons why her team loves to work with her. It was this positivity, along with her dedication to care, that led Ladise to win PA of the Year at NSUH’s 3^rd Annual North Star Gala this year.

And her team is with her every step of the way as they togetherness extends beyond patient care to include picnics, holiday parties, fundraising and more. “Our team really supports one another and we have created a family-like environment,” says Ladise. “That is hands down why I would work here as a PA.”

Ladise doesn’t just impact her team with positivity, she also impacts the next generation of healthcare leaders. When she isn’t providing direct patient care, she is working as a preceptor mentoring newly hired physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Ladise says, “by being a role model, you can give back to not only the individual but to future patients by developing that high standard of care.”

If you’re Made for working with a team of exceptional ACPs, explore our opportunities here.

An Appointment With: Dr. Dwayne Breining, Executive Director, Northwell Health Labs

Starting his Northwell Health career as the director of Lab/Pathology at LIJ Valley Stream Hospital 13 years ago, Dr. Dwanye Breining held that title at multiple Northwell hospitals before coming to our Core Laboratory. Now as executive director of the Northwell Laboratories, he leads the talented team that coordinates laboratory testing for our new Core Laboratory at the Center for Advanced Medicine (CFAM), the new Core Microbiology Laboratory at Little Neck Parkway, and the 43 hospital laboratories that rely on our laboratories for reference testing. Northwell Labs is also responsible for testing for physician offices, nursing homes, the Department of Health, clinical trials, urgent care centers and more.

We sat down with Dr. Breining to discuss the growth of careers within Northwell Labs.

What types of careers are available within Northwell Labs?

While I think everyone is aware that we employ many MD & DO pathologists, as well as PhDs, laboratory technologists, and phlebotomists, not everyone knows that we also have people in sales and finance, as well as numerous IT specialists, data analysts, customer service representatives, materials management personnel and many delivery vehicle operators, and even a pharmacist. It is indeed a very big department, and we are a 24/7/365 operation – laboratory services never stop.

What makes our Labs at Northwell unique?

I like to think that we combine the best of both worlds: the high-efficiency of a commercial lab-type setting with the personal touch and hands-on engagement of your local hospital lab that knows you as a patient, and your physician as a colleague. As the largest nonprofit health system lab in the country, we have access to the most advanced medical testing technology available, including the largest Roche chemistry automation line in North America at the CFAM lab and the largest Kiestra automated microbiology system at the Little Neck Lab.

We are recognized internationally as an innovator in the laboratory industry, not just on the technology side but also in the business arena through forming unique partnerships with other health systems such as the one we formed with NYC Health & Hospitals, in which we also serve as the Core Laboratory for their 18 hospitals and affiliated clinics. Another unique innovation we just launched, and are especially proud of, is LabFly. This is an Uber-like app, available for both iOS and Android devices, to have our phlebotomy services come to you, in your home or office at whatever time is convenient, for a low convenience fee. We are seeing rapidly growing interest in this type of service.

Why should Bio/Chem students who are unsure of what they want to do as a career explore the clinical lab field?

The level of fulfillment and sense of purpose one derives from working within healthcare in general, and knowing that the work you do directly affects the well-being of our community, is second to none, as any healthcare professional can attest. In the lab tech arena specifically, you will never be bored, as there are over 30 different tech sub-specialty areas in which to train, which creates many opportunities for career advancement. There is regular interaction with colleagues from all aspects of the lab, and also with physicians, office and hospital staff, and even school students and the general public at times.  In addition, many of our Laboratory Information System computer specialists started out as lab techs, and are now trained and regularly installing and troubleshooting the highly advanced medical information systems that make modern healthcare run.

Why is Northwell an employer of choice for lab professionals?

Because of our demanding position within a large, leading healthcare system, we will always be at the cutting edge of clinical laboratory medicine. There are abundant opportunities for career evolution and advancement, and our staff can choose to partake in as much as they like. We work hard to create a comfortable and collegial work environment (after all, we all spend almost half our waking hours at work) because we want to attract and retain the best of the best.

Where do you see the future of clinical laboratory sciences evolving?

The future of the lab industry is incredibly bright. New testing technology keeps coming along faster than we can automate the simpler testing, and it is always a challenge to have enough techs coming on-board to keep up with it. In addition, we are already seeing opportunities for the lab to step more forward in healthcare, and participate in things like patient risk assessment, care coordination and escalation, and population health, especially given  an aging population., We expect these trends to continue well into the future.

Investing in the future of nursing with our Nurse Extern Program

Our Nurse Extern Program is providing junior BSN students with a unique experience at the bedside within a Northwell Health hospital. Every summer, selected nursing students have the opportunity to participate in our rewarding eight-week paid program. Guided by preceptors, these future nurses develop a strong skill set all while strengthening their passion for delivering care.

This unique experience is a powerful stepping stone for nursing students. Nurse externs spend their program shadowing nurses to see first-hand what it’s like to work in a hospital setting. By introducing them to specialties they won’t see in their clinical rotations, such as the operating room, students enter their senior year with more confidence and a better understanding of which specialty they want to develop their career in.

Beyond learning how to deliver bedside care, students participate in educational in-services presented by our nurse educators and leadership, while building lasting relationships with their peers. Externs also work together to complete a final project to present to nursing leadership at the end of their program.

The 2019 program hosted 91 nurse externs at 15 hospitals in over seven specialties, a 30% increase in nurse externs since 2018.With the growth of our program, more students are able to gain an invaluable foundation to build their nursing career.

Are you Made for the future of nursing? Learn more about our Nurse Extern Program here!

Hear from 2019’s summer Nurse Externs on why they loved our Nurse Extern Program:

Check out some of our nurse externs on location:

Day in the life: Central Sterile Processing Technician

Instrument sterilization is a vital step in any surgical procedure, but you may not always think about what goes into the process – or who’s doing it. At Northwell, we know our sterile processing technicians are invaluable members of our operating rooms. These technicians handle the sterilization of our instruments from decontamination to dispatch all inside our new centralized facility in Bethpage, NY. Working in the world’s largest sterile processing center, our technicians provide around-the-clock services using the most innovative technology available.

“Our new central sterile processing facility was built with the comfort of our sterile processing technicians in mind,” says Marc MacLaren, RN, BSN, MSN, program director of System Sterile Operations. “As we continue to grow and refine our procedures, we listen to their feedback. The work our technicians do every day is changing the way people look at sterile processing and defining the future of where the industry is going.”

Follow a day in the life of some of our sterile processing technicians at our new state-of-the-art central sterile processing facility in Bethpage.

Step 1: Surgical instruments are brought in for the decontamination team

Step 2: Instruments are unloaded and tracked through automated systems

Step 3: Sterile processing technicians sort trays to create priority order

Step 4: Instruments are counted and passed through a safety test

Step 5: Team members package the instruments for sterilization

Step 6: Instrument trays are sent into the sterilization systems

Step 7: Technicians sort the trays for hospital dispatch

Interested in becoming a central sterile processing technician? Explore job opportunities today!

Faces of Oncology Care: Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants

The oncology team members at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute provide cancer care to more New Yorkers than any other health care provider. And with so many patients trusting the Northwell Health Cancer Institute for their treatments, our advanced clinical providers are helping make a difference on a large scale. Our nurse practitioners and physician assistants aren’t just helping our patients survive, they’re helping them thrive.

Meet some of our advanced clinical providers below and hear what makes them passionate about working in oncology care.

Working at Northwell for more than 20 years, Keara has dedicated more than half of those to oncology care. As a PA, she embraces the fact that she has the opportunity to change lives of those facing a cancer diagnosis.

“I’m no different from everyone else,” she says. “Cancer touched my life at a young age when my grandfather battled and eventually lost his life due to metastatic colon cancer. That experience changed me in a way that would shape my life.”

Being a PA allows Keara to not only deliver care to her patients, but to be there for them: “In addition to being a part of fascinating scientific discoveries, I am able to ease a patient’s fear and give them hope. I bring smiles, comfort, compassion, hugs and even laughter back into their world. We treat cancer like a chronic illness, not a terminal illness.”

Having worked in oncology outside of Northwell, Keara knows there’s no place like Northwell. “I saw firsthand how differently we care for our patients and their families through unparalleled compassion, empathy and genuine concern. I have had the opportunity to work alongside some of the most wonderful nurses, doctors, and support staff I could have ever hoped for.”

Jennie Hernandez has worked at Northwell for four years at the Monter Cancer Center where she specializes in gynecologic medical oncology.

For Jennie, choosing oncology as her specialty was clear. “I always knew I would end up working in oncology,” she says. “There are a lot of exciting advancements being made and I want to be part of finding a cure for cancer.”

At Northwell, Jennie feels empowered as part of a close team that is always researching and going the extra mile to provide patients with the best care and treatment options. “Working here has helped me develop into the PA I have always wanted to be. The opportunities to help patients with the resources we have are endless and we continue to do more.”

It’s not just innovative treatments and research that makes her job worth it, but the people. In a specialty that can be emotionally difficult, Jennie finds the relationships she develops with her patients are what makes her job so special. “I could not imagine doing anything else because of the relationships I get to create with my patients and their families,” she says. “I feel like they are my family. It’s a close relationship that helps us both get through every day to make the next day an even better one.”

Starting her Northwell career as a nurse in the MICU at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in 2011, Eva McLoughlin made the decision to return to school to become an NP.

The intricacy of bone marrow transplants piqued her interest in oncology and brought her to Monter Cancer Center after she graduated. There she works delivering care on the bone marrow transplant team: “As an NP on the bone marrow transplant team, I am able to help ensure patients have the best quality of life in their time of need.”

Eva takes pride in the fact that her actions are able to change not only a patient’s condition but their outlook. “Every day I have the opportunity to influence a patient’s life in a positive way,” she says.

With 11 years of nursing experience in breast and gynecologic cancer, Elena Palau knows the difference advanced clinical providers can make for their patients. Starting her career as a registered nurse, Elena is now the supervising nurse practitioner at Monter.

“Oncology is a dynamic practice,” says Elena. “It is difficult for the family and patient undergoing treatment and its related side effects but what is gratifying is that with excellent treatments, you may see the patient’s disease respond.”

At Monter, she finds it rewarding to work with the entire oncology care team: “I work with excellent oncologists, nurses and administrative leaders who value my work, opinion, and leadership commitment. To her the most important part of oncology care is, of course, her patients. “It’s important to make the patients understand that you care and to hear what they are saying. As an NP, I can offer clinical help and it’s very rewarding when treatment is successful.”

Develop cutting-edge applications in Software Engineering Internship

Do you have an insatiable curiosity for new ideas and building innovative software? Then you might be Made for Northwell Health’s Software Engineering Internship!

This year Northwell launched a new Software Engineering Internship where our interns worked at the forefront of building new technology for healthcare as part of the Northwell Health Information Technology Innovation Center. With over 400 applicants, five top candidates with varied skill sets were selected to form our first elite summer cohort.

Our summer interns had the opportunity use the latest technologies to build advanced modern software that will deliver real value to our patients, clinicians and organization. Operating like a startup, the team incubated new ideas and worked collaboratively in an agile environment like a commercial software development team.

Joining the team of software engineers, product managers and UX designers, our interns are bringing new ideas to life with the goal of having a pilot-ready software for deployment at our hospitals at the end of their internship. Each intern was mentored by a software engineer to ensure their success throughout the summer.

During their first week, interns attended a Coding Boot Camp, followed by the kick-off of two full stack projects. After presentations from stakeholders outlining important requirements, the interns were off and running in two small teams creating architecture to review with their mentors, running daily stand-up meetings and presenting to stakeholders for feedback.

While delivering projects, students learned about cutting edge technologies and work with the latest development methodologies and frameworks, including self-organizing to create their own development boards and run their own Scrum stand-ups. “The working environment is great,” says Xuliang Sun, a dual Masters student at Carnegie Mellon studying Civil Engineering and Technology Innovation Management. “We work in an open space and our mentors are there to help us. We can easily jump into the huddle room and whiteboard the solution together.”

Nic Lorenzen, senior development lead for the Innovation Software Engineering team believes in giving interns the opportunity to push their comfort zone. He adds, “By the end of summer, they will have created continuous deployment pipelines that push out Microsoft Azure function microservice backends, progressive reactive front end applications and leveraged SignalR for real-time communication. Our interns won’t just ship code like every intern yearns to do; they will ship clean, maintainable code that they can be proud of and we can use and build off of for years to come.”

Ready to gain experience for your future career? Applications are now open!

Let’s hear what our interns have to say about their summer so far:

Celebrating diversity, culture and traditions through the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a celebration in Asian culture of hard work, harvest and family. This year, Northwell Health’s Bridges Asian Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) led celebrations throughout the health system for our team members to connect with each other and our patients.

We talked to two of the BERG leaders to learn a more about the Mid-Autumn Festival and the importance of creating a workplace where all holidays are celebrated.

Hoi-Sze (Suki) To, practice administrative manager, Colorectal Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital and co-lead, Bridges Asian BERG, Western Region

What is the Bridges Asian BERG?

The BERG was created to enhance engagement, innovation, talent development, and promote an inclusive culture ensuring the delivery of culturally and linguistically sensitive, quality patient care. The Asian BERG nurtures a diverse, inclusive workforce that aligns with Northwell’s mission, values, business practices, and objectives.

What are the benefits of becoming a member of the Bridges Asian BERG?

It provides the opportunity for professional development and networking, a collective voice, a role in fostering community support, and most importantly, broadening cultural awareness throughout Northwell and the communities we serve. I joined the group because there is a need to address the importance of cultural diversity when providing patient care.

There are many Chinese American patients from the Asian communities Northwell serves and it is critical for us to create a comfortable and culturally-sensitive environment. For example, one of Lenox Hill Hospital’s prominent colorectal surgeons, Dr. Joseph Martz, would proactively translated the medical consent forms into the Chinese language and also recruited bilingual support staff in order to communicate effectively with his patients. Our BERG now helps with these needs.

How do you celebrate the festival?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a chance for families to spend time together, just like Thanksgiving. One of the most common ways to celebrate is by eating moon cakes. Moon cakes are a dense, sweet pastry that’s baked or steamed and typically enjoyed with tea. You can also find moon cakes in other flavors such as green tea and chocolate. Many communities also celebrate by lighting paper lanterns because the lanterns serve a practical purpose of lighting the way as friends and family stay up to appreciate the full moon late into the night.

Yue (Lulu) Liu, senior administrative manager, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital and co-lead of the Bridges Asian BERG, Western Region

Why is the Mid-Autumn Festival important to Northwell?

The Mid-Autumn festival is important to Northwell because this is a holiday that is celebrated throughout Asia and by many of our employees. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated at Lenox Hill Hospital. The celebration was a collaboration with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Lenox Hill Hospital’s Human Resources, and the Lenox Hill Department of Food and Nutrition Services. The event was very well received and brought patients, hospital staff and leadership together.

Why did you become a member of the Bridges Asian BERG?

Prior to becoming a member of Bridges Asian BERG, I noticed there was a shortage of culturally and linguistically sensitive patient materials. My team and I would spend hours translating the pre-procedure and post-op care instructions over the phone with our Asian patients. After joining the Bridges Asian BERG, I started to collaborate with the Chinese Language Advisory Board (LAB), where we would help procure this information for the Northwell Health Physician Partner practices when they were providing care to the Asian American population.

How do you celebrate the festival?

During the moon festival my family and I always enjoy a meal that ends with sampling a of moon cakes and a special tea my mom selects to pair with the moon cakes. For me, the most important part of the moon festival is spending time with my family, being appreciative of our loved ones, creating new memories, and maintaining the bonds that we have.

My experience in the HMP internship that led to a full-time job after college graduation

Written by: Megan McKenna, Georgetown University, Healthcare Management Program Summer Associate 19′

When I went off to college, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to be. I was going to be a doctor. However, I quickly realized that it wasn’t for me, so I pursued other interests in government and American studies. When it came time to start looking for a job the summer after my sophomore year, I took one with a home healthcare company, never expecting for it to start me down a path of healthcare administration. I found that I really enjoyed working with clinicians in a collaborative space to solve problems and help patients. I wanted to learn more about what it would mean to have a non-clinical career in healthcare, so I applied to the Healthcare Management Program (HMP) Internship at Northwell Health. I was ecstatic when I got the call that I had been offered a position as an HMP 2019 summer associate.

This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, NY. When I arrived for my first day, I didn’t know what to expect. I was excited and a little bit nervous – I didn’t know the first thing about hospital administration. When I found out that I would be working in the Emergency Department, I was really excited to be in a fast-paced and dynamic department that plays such a critical role in the hospital and the community.

During my time at Phelps, I had the opportunity to develop skills in project management, data analytics and learn about hospital operations. I was able to build relationships with clinicians and administrators who were really generous with their time and were invested in helping me learn and grow. Everyone was very welcoming and quickly I felt like I was a valued member of the team. Through my projects, I saw firsthand the complexities of hospital operations and the inspiring collaborative work that is essential not only to keep hospitals running, but also to power the entire health system.

Coming into this program, I wanted to be able to explore my interest in healthcare administration because it is not something that I study in school, but I was able to accomplish so much more than that. Not only has this program has allowed me to solidify my interest in healthcare and see the immense opportunity that there is in this field, but I was able to meet inspiring leaders, learn from my peers, and take on new challenges.

Megan has been offered and accepted a full-time position in the Management Associate Program as an Associate at Lenox Hill Hospital once she graduates from Georgetown University in May.

Submit your resume to become a Summer Associate in the 2020 Healthcare Management Program Internship.