The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. To see this year’s future leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.
Ashley Arnold, vice president of clinical services, St. Croix Hospice, has been named a 2021 Future Leader by Hospice News. St. Croix is a portfolio company of the private equity firm H.I.G. Capital.
To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40-years-old or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Arnold sat down with Hospice News to talk about her career trajectory and the ways the industry is evolving.
What drew you to hospice to the hospice field?
I started my career in long term care, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Being in that setting, I was really able to see the benefit of hospice to our patients. I used to see the hospice nurses coming in and out and providing end-of-life care, and admired so much of what they did. It really felt like a calling. I wanted to give this a try and am very grateful that I did.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you’ve started to work in this field?
The biggest lesson for me is the importance of ensuring that we provide the highest quality hospice care. I think when we put the patient in the center of everything we do, to the highest standard, the rest falls into place. The result is really the ability to provide amazing care to our patients at the end. of life.
With an eye towards the future of hospice, if there were one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be?
I think the ability to engage and retain staff, Hospice is such a rewarding industry to be a part of, but ensuring we can engage staff in the market can be difficult. Here at St. Croix hospice, we’ve really invested in our staff by developing career ladders. We did this to continue to grow our employees with us as we continue to grow. For me, I feel that the people I work with here at St. Croix are truly the best and surely provide the highest quality hospice care. I am very grateful to be part of this team.
What would you foresee as being different about the hospice industry as you look ahead to 2022?
I think the biggest difference will be how innovative hospices will become, whether using technology in new ways or finding new ways to engage and retain staff. I think hospices will need to be more innovative and grow with the changes we are seeing in quality standards and regulations.
The ones that can do this the most effectively will see the most success. We here at St. Croix are constantly planning and engaging in new ways to be more innovative. It’s one of the things that I enjoy most about working for St. Croix hospice.
Looking back to your first day working in hospice, if you could give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
I think the biggest piece of advice is to put the patient in the center of everything we do. When we focus on providing the highest quality care and ensuring that we have the highest quality outcomes, the rest really falls in place.
The referrals come when you provide high quality care. People want that type of care. Staff want to work for you. They want to be able to be part of that amazing team and that amazing culture.