Director of Hospital Medicine, Advanced Surgical Services, Gastroenterology and Obstetrics/Gynecology
From soapy suds to spreadsheets, it seems Thompson Health has always been where Summer Killian is meant to be.
Over the course of more than 25 years, as Killian has grown both professionally and personally, the health system has always had something to offer her when she was seeking a new challenge. Plus, she said, “it’s special.”
“It’s very nice to work in an organization where you can walk through the halls and know people by their first names,” Killian said.
The Canandaigua native’s first day with Thompson was on her 16th birthday, when she started an after-school job, washing dishes in the hospital cafeteria.
She stayed throughout high school, remaining employed by the hospital on a per diem basis while at college. After moving back to Canandaigua to attend Finger Lakes Community College, she worked in both patient registration and Emergency Department registration.
Following a year living in another state, Killian returned to Thompson as a clinical processing technician in the Lab, working part-time while finishing her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Keuka College.
Killian eventually took another position in the Lab as its client services manager, and although she was looking for a teaching job upon graduation, she and her husband had just welcomed twins and she decided she needed the flexibility Thompson offered.
“It was nice to stay in the organization I knew and to be close to home,” she said. “I was able to work an opposite shift from my husband and we were able to keep our kids home that whole first year.”
After obtaining her master’s in management from Keuka in 2020, Killian once again contemplated leaving Thompson and looked into several other organizations. Then, a director’s position opened up. It involved overseeing approximately 80 staff members within four departments - Hospital Medicine, Advanced Surgical Services, Gastroenterology and Obstetrics/Gynecology.
Knowing of her accomplishments in bringing new business to the Lab, improving patient care and improving employee satisfaction, colleagues encouraged her to apply for the director’s position and she took their advice.
“It seemed like something I really wanted to do,” she said.
Also, it’s something she couldn’t imagine doing anywhere else: “I’m very thankful to have the resources available and know the people who can help me learn and grow in the position.”