Let’s go behind the scenes with one of the many who work to make it all happen – Anna Jackson. Anna shares about her role at UMMC and all she does in the Division of Nephrology. Thank you, Anna, for all you do!

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Tell us about what you do at UMMC. 

As a Projector Administrator in the Nephrology department, my responsibilities include assisting the Program Director in designing, implementing, and managing the administrative and academic operations of the fellowship program. This involves coordinating evaluation meetings and fellow educational activities each academic year, organizing Clinical Competency Committee Meetings and Education Review Faculty Meetings, and taking minutes. I also have monthly meetings with the GME office and fellowship program coordinators. In addition, I create and maintain fellows’ files, handle information verification for graduates’ monthly rotation schedules, keep a master list of conferences and conference attendance sheets, and manage licensure information such as state medical licenses, ACLS certifications, and NPI numbers. I assist with ACGME annual required meetings and online updates, schedule semi-annual meetings with fellows and program directors, and send reminders of deadlines. Moreover, I maintain and reconcile faculty and fellow licenses, DEA cards, and ACLS departmental contracts. I also handle journal entries, travel expenses, requisitions, and supplier invoices in Workday, and coordinate payment of invoices, processing of travel and expense reimbursements, and maintenance of receivables. Other responsibilities include preparing agendas for department meetings and conferences, scheduling meetings, preparing applicable records, reports, and correspondence, creating, maintaining, and updating databases and spreadsheets of regularly scheduled reports for tracking and analysis, and managing office supplies inventory. Additionally, I provide training for new administrative staff members.

How long have you worked at UMMC? 

21 years

What do you love about your job? 

One thing I value about working at UMMC is the opportunity for personal and professional growth. I’ve developed many valuable skills in this role that I use every day. When I first applied for a full-time job at UMMC, I accidentally went to the wrong location. I’ll always remember how polite the secretary at the desk was. I’ll also never forget the nurse manager who asked me if I wanted to work there because I looked so young. I replied with a “yes ma’am,” and she hired me on the spot. Her decision not only gave me a job but also set me on the path to a lifelong career.

What things make your day brighter? 
I am humble and approachable so that people can feel my supportive energy and know I am there to help them in any way I can, whether it’s my family, friends, or co-workers. I enjoy bringing a smile to someone who is having a hard day. I also value being a good listener and genuinely caring about my co-workers and management.

Tell us something about yourself that many people do not know. 

I want to share that I was a high school dropout. I felt humiliated because many people didn’t understand my decision, but I’m grateful that I was never judged for it. It took me a while to accept that I made the right decision to help care for my mother and four siblings. After a year, I decided to return to finish high school, and I did it with faith in myself. After graduation, I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I always had a passion for helping others. Initially, I wanted to work in education or become a nurse, but I was unsure. I started at UMMC as a nurse aide and had the opportunity to take the unit secretary class. I remember taking Business Technology in high school at the Career Development Center and enjoyed it. It was then that I realized I could still help others working in healthcare, but not in direct patient care.