Employee Spotlight: Laura Gemma

A Gainesville, FL native, Laura Gemma opens up about her role here at InterMed. From JumpTeams Coordinator to Manager and, now Director, her three and half years so far have been a deep dive into the field service industry.

What exactly is JumpTeams?

JumpTeams is a pool of skilled technicians who are both technically trained and InterMed trained. They fill in at clinical sites when they are short-staffed, or come in as extra hands to do a special project. Specialty projects range from work on specific devices or specific models to avoid calling the OEM to physical inventory and more. We guarantee top notch customer service and strong knowledge of equipment and the clinical setting, to become seamlessly a part of the customer’s team. Our goal is to leave the customer with an improved system shop and efficiency – to help them reach their goals.

Why are they important and unique?

We are unique because we have a proven track record of completing specialty projects solving issues that ultimately improve in patient safety, patient care, and patient privacy. Also, our technicians have been in every scenario possible. They've been in so many different shops all around the country, worked with so many different CMMS systems, and have worked with every personality type, so they're able to adapt very well. We also source inventory technicians from those with a clinical background, reassuring our customers that our technicians understand patient care and patient safety.

What is your educational and professional background?

Upon graduation of high school, I dedicated a couple of years to traveling abroad in Europe before coming home and going to Santa Fe College. I earned my bachelor’s in business administration which led me to liability insurance for a while. Then I hopped into physician recruiting – placing physical therapists, RNs, etc.… Throughout my career, my background in art has given me the ability to think outside the box and problem-solve, which has been crucial in my role now at InterMed.

What led you to be with InterMed and our JumpTeams Director?

What initially led me to InterMed was my medical industry background, as my recruiting background transferred well into my first position as JumpTeams Coordinator. From there, I grew into the JumpTeams manager role which was a much more involved position in the business and customer service side. I was given a lot more responsibility working directly with the customer versus internal support, as in my coordinator role. After developing customer relationships and gaining more comfort in the industry and with the technicians, I became JumpTeams Director, which is my role today.

What is your role and responsibilities?

Being JumpTeams Director, I juggle multiple responsibilities. I develop and maintain customer rapport, being in communication with them regarding our work, their goals, and progress on the project. A large part of my role developing and nourishing relationships with our technicians. I am their main point of contact, so ensuring they are provided with what they need – tools and knowledge, being their support when they are traveling, which is 99% of the time, and managing their schedules to give them maximum freedom to create their schedules yet offer work opportunities. Last, but not least, setting and maintaining the JumpTeams budget is also a part of my role.

What do you love about your job?

I love getting to know the technicians on a professional level and seeing them grow and develop in the industry. It’s very common that I see someone go from an entry-level BMET, straight out of school or an internship, to a level two BMET within a year because they are exposed to many different customers and scenarios.

What does your day-to-day look like?

A normal day-to-day is checking in with our customers and our technicians on site. With the customers, I ensure that the productivity is where they expect it to be and where we expect it to be I generate data reports to keep transparency and to make sure we’re both on the same page about the progress of the project. I also check in with the technicians to see if everything is going smoothly, or if there is something to be addressed, and get their take on the progress of the project.

How do you balance being a busy mom with your responsibilities?

As our customers are all over the country, in different time zones, I have untraditional hours most of the time. So, being proactive in supporting our customers by getting in front of any potential risks before they happen and adjusting my availability, allows me to still have time for my family and daughter.