Department of Internal Medicine Celebrates Administrative Professionals Day 2019
On Thursday, April 25, over sixty-five employees from across all divisions in the Department of Internal Medicine gathered to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day. Historically, celebrations for Administrative Professionals Day were handled on a division-only level but this year, and for the first time in the department’s recent history, a conscious effort was made to unite the divisions’ administrative professionals by hosting a celebratory lunch in their honor.
“We've learned through the Waggl and the World Café for staff that our employees not only recommend the University of Utah as a great place to work, but that they see themselves working here in the future and that they're overwhelmingly motivated to do their best work,” says Kevin Dustin, Associate Chair of Administration and Finance. “Our administrative professionals are among the hardest working in the department, and we wanted their efforts to be recognized on a department-level. It was a delight to bring our administrative professionals together to thank them for their hard work and commitment to excellence.”
Attendees were treated to a catered lunch buffet complete with artisan desserts, and were encouraged to meet new colleagues by means of a networking game: Administrative Professionals Bingo. The game initiated discussions through various prompts, ranging from work-related topics (“Supports a staff member” or “Has worked at the University of Utah for more than 5 years”) to sillier, more personal conversation starters (“Can open a pickle jar without assistance” and “Watched Game of Thrones last Sunday”). Participants of the game moved from table to table, meeting new colleagues and writing down names of those who satisfied the prompt on their bingo cards. Bingo cards submitted with a full bingo blackout were eligible to win the grand prize, with those completing three in a row entered for more minor prizes.
Oakley Preston, a financial analyst in the Division of Endocrinology and the grand prize winner of the bingo card raffle, was grateful for the opportunity to meet people outside of her division. “I work at the Utah Diabetes and Endocrinology Center (UDEC) in Research Park, so it’s not exactly where most of the department’s employees are located on upper campus,” she says. “It was great to get the chance to put the names in emails to the faces of colleagues in other divisions.”
The Department of Internal Medicine continues work on its commitment to items addressed in the Waggl and at the World Café event, including more events, better communication, and resources solely for staff members. “This event was intended as a small office-only holiday celebration,” affirms Dustin, “but we found it is just the start of a larger commitment to recognize the accolades and skills of this hardworking group of employees on a more daily basis.”
Other Administrative Professional Bingo winners were: Layla Atwood, Pulmonary; Kathy VanOrden, Oncology; Christina Orme, Nephrology; Nanette Rigby, Gastroenterology; Jennifer Zitterkoph, Nephrology; Lori Maness, Internal Medicine Administration; Teri Prince, Pulmonary; Connie Kimball, Nephrology; Debbie Pitt, Cardiovascular Medicine