Dr. Jessica Pappas-Bland, DNP, ACHPN, BSBA, joined Landmark in October 2020. Prior to joining Landmark, Bland worked as an advanced hospice and palliative care nurse in both in-patient and out-patient settings. Bland is also an adjunct graduate professor in Maryville University’s Master of Nursing Program.

Belief in Landmark’s Mission

Bland was drawn to Landmark’s mission to change health care for complex, chronic patients. “In my previous roles, my goal was to keep patients out of the hospital and emergency room. Landmark had an established model for doing that well,” she explains.

“I am passionate about palliative care, which is an integral piece of Landmark’s unique care model,” Bland says. “Providing in-home care to complex patients is the future of health care,” she continues.

The Importance of Onboarding

“When I joined Landmark, I was highly impressed with the time they took to focus on educating employees on Landmark’s mission, vision and values. Other companies may briefly go over these things, but at Landmark, it’s continuously a main focus,” Bland explains.

Bland’s training was extensive to ensure she was prepared for her role. “They took time to make sure we completely understood how to do our jobs. Between human resources trainings, immersion trainings and care model education, I had a really strong foundation before I started my role,” Bland says.

Becoming the Trainer

Bland’s role as an implementation advanced practice provider allows Bland to combine her passion for medicine and education. Bland trains and mentors new Landmark providers on providing community-based chronic care and palliative care.

“It’s exciting when I am training providers and am able to watch it click for them. Giving them the confidence to do their job well is so rewarding,” Bland says.

Bland continues, “I recently trained a new provider who didn’t feel prepared to use Landmark’s electronic medical record system. I spent the day with them, going through the software step-by-step. That one-on-one time alleviated their concerns and they were comfortable visiting patients on their own the following day.”

Value of a Team

When asked if there was anything she would like to highlight, Bland says, “The implementation team is truly a team. We share the workload and ensure there is balance across the team. I’m so happy to be a part of a team that values working together as one.”

If you’re a provider considering a career move to a new organization, be sure to ask for specifics on the onboarding process and ongoing support past the first few weeks. In particular, if you are considering a move from a facility-based practice to a mobile, in-home practice, you will want assurance that the organization is experienced at supporting this transition.

To view open opportunities at Landmark, visit our careers page.