Q & A with Andrea Hadley, MD, FAAP, Corewell Health/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Grand Rapids, Mich.

As a med-peds hospitalist, Dr. Hadley turns to SHM for networking an education, and she lends her unique perspective to The Hospitalist’s editorial board.

Empower the nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, therapists, care managers, dieticians, etc., who you work with to provide input on the care of the patient, rounding with them when possible!

Dr. Hadley

Q: Why did you choose a career in hospital medicine?

Hospital medicine, for me, is the perfect blend of high acuity, powerful relationships, teamwork, teaching, and the opportunity for involvement in fulfilling non-clinical activities such as quality and safety. I also love caring for all age groups, both adults and children!

Q: What’s been your biggest success?

I consider my biggest success to be cultivating an environment on my hospitalist team where people say they feel that their voices matter, their concerns are heard, solutions are in progress, and that we are part of a shared mission to improve the care for hospitalized children in our community and beyond. That and getting my kids to school on time when I do drop off.          

Q: What challenges have you overcome?

The days at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were dark and posed many challenges. I am still in awe of the teamwork, ingenuity, flexibility, and multidisciplinary expertise that came together to solve these challenges. I was pulled off pediatrics to round in the MICU and on the adult floors where I witnessed too much suffering. I served on the COVID-19 response team for our health system and was then able to translate a lot of what we learned through this process to help us deal with the unprecedented 2022 surge in pediatric respiratory infections and critical bed ped shortages across the nation.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?

Problem solving. I love when people come to me with their problems and I can get right to work figuring out a solution. This goes for the team I manage as well as for my patients!

Q: Why did you join SHM?

I joined SHM for networking and education. As a med-peds hospitalist, it takes a lot of work to keep up to date on both internal medicine and pediatrics topics, and I’m thankful to be able to rely on SHM to provide me with easy-to-digest, relevant updates, and to meet others around the country doing similar work.

Q: Why did you become an editorial board member?

To share my passion for what we do. I also want to help connect people that I know with this venue to share their work and ideas.

Q: What’s the first page you turn to when you get your copy of The Hospitalist?

I ALWAYS read magazines/newspapers backward, starting on the last page. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember and I’ve been told that there are others out there like me! I can’t explain why I do it, but it just feels right. So, I always start on the last page; that way I don’t miss anything!

Q: What topics would you like to see more of in The Hospitalist?

Perspective pieces always catch my attention; I love hearing about other people’s impactful experiences and am so inspired by this type of writing.

Q: What’s your best piece of advice for new hospitalists?

Hospital medicine is the ultimate team sport. Empower the nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, therapists, care managers, dieticians, etc., who you work with to provide input on the care of the patient, rounding with them when possible!

Q: What’s something someone would be surprised to know about you?

The books I read before bed are usually in Spanish, which makes me dream in Spanish!

Q: What do you wish the world knew about hospitalists?

We think about our patients long after we go off service. The relationships we form with our patients and families are unique as they are forged during some of the most difficult times in our patients’ lives. 

Q: How do you stay motivated during stressful days?

I put the patient at the center and tell myself what one of my mentors taught me “take care of your patients the way you would want your family members cared for.” This keeps me moving forward.

Dr. Hadley earned her medical degree and completed her internal medicine and pediatrics combined residency at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Mich.