Welcome to the Shady Grove Fertility Staff Blog. Our dedicated staffers are sharing short articles about ways they are here to help you, share their experiences, and what they have learned while being at Shady Grove Fertility. This week Michelle, a Practice Liaison, shares how she plays a special type of matchmaker.
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Name: Michelle
Team Member Since: February 2012
Title: Practice Liaison
Not Your Average Matchmaker
A good friend of mine set me up with my now fiancé and her only request was that I “pay it forward.” While I haven’t done it yet for anyone in the dating game, it dawns on me that I do it all of the time in my daily work life. It’s my job.
As a Practice Liaison at Shady Grove Fertility, I have all sorts of jobs – budgets, forecasts, spreadsheets, PowerPoints and more. But when I really sit down and ask myself what I do, the answer becomes clear – I am fundamentally a matchmaker. Myself and the other liaisons try to make connections between our doctors offices and the referring community – the ob/gyns, urologists, midwifes, nurses and many more. We don’t just bring around donuts and promo giveaways; we forge through the muck of paperwork and automation to get to the pulse of each office. We want your docs to meet our docs, so they know who it is YOU see for your fertility care.
Yes, we feel rejection and heartache just like the dating game, because our jobs are about getting in the door to meet the point people that make the referrals. We know patients like you are out there looking for the answers just like a hopeless romantic is trying to find ‘the one.’ And we know you’ve found ‘the one’ when you give us a call.
Yes, we are on the road from office to office a lot, trying to keep the hundreds of referring physicians on track with the latest and greatest information about Shady Grove Fertility, but it feels more like the Amazing Race! We don’t want to take away time from you seeing your ob/gyn or family practitioner for an annual check-up, so we take up only the time we need to provide you with the best access to care.
We feel a true sense of pride when we walk out of a potential referring physician’s office with contact information so he/she can receive our e-newsletters and direct mailings. Or when we connect with a nurse manager who has had two happy patients recently return after a successful fertility journey. Or better yet, the doctor calls ME to ask me on MY advice on how to help a patient get the help she needs.
We aren’t your average representatives. We help facilitate relationships among the referring physician community. That’s a special role. While that may sound like a walk in the park, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Think about how long a steady relationship in your life took to be where it is now. It didn’t happen overnight. And we all know relationships need to be mended. They all take time and nurturing, just like you to do with your family, friends and/or spouse. Some love us, and some think we are just another drug rep. But that’s okay because what matters is you getting the care that you need.
Your doctors do have a vested interest in your well-being. They care. They ask how you are doing. They interact with our physicians. And everyone feels like they have done their part to get you one step closer to fulfilling your dreams.
So when you graduate after a positive 8-week pregnancy with a little bean on the ultrasound picture, even though we haven’t met, know you have a small army of matchmakers out there who care about you just as much as those you have touched throughout your fertility journey.
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If you are been trying to conceive without success and would like more information or to schedule an appointment with one of the Shady Grove Fertility physicians, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.
