Written by Erica Douglas
Lorri Craig has a big reason to celebrate this year. This May marks her 40th anniversary with Quincy Medical Group. In all those years here at QMG, she has seen many changes from advancements in technology to growth in services.
Looking at her application for employment from 1977, some of the questions asked of employees included marital status, height, weight, and mode of transportation. Even employment applications have changed. As Employment Specialist at QMG, she says laws prevent employers from asking questions like this today.
Lorri began her career at what was known as Quincy Clinic in May of 1977. She started part-time in personnel and purchasing. “We figured everything by hand, including payroll,” she said. “We hand-delivered paychecks around to employees, and today you don’t even see your check.”
At the time Quincy Clinic employed around 25 doctors and approximately 100-150 employees. In 1987, Quincy Clinic merged with the Physicians & Surgeons Clinic, combining their resources in staff and equipment. Lorri was asked if she would prefer to stay in purchasing or join the human resources team. “I’ve always enjoyed working with people, so I chose HR,” she said. “I’ve been in HR ever since.”
Since bringing the two clinics together, Lorri has seen continued growth and expansion within QMG. For the community that means more specialty services and a “one-stop shop” for patients. That depth of services and convenience was not always the case. She recalls when her dad was facing a bout with colon cancer. She took time off work to take him to appointments in St. Louis, and the travel was hard on him as he went through treatments, she explained.
Today, Quincy Medical Group offers several specialty services including oncology. “Everything is right here. You get the treatment you need locally and your follow-up care as well. Our region is lucky to have that because that wasn’t always the case,” said Craig.
Through all her years here, she said the staff has become an extension of her family. “If something happens to you or your family – house fire, illness, medical bills – the team here will rally around you,” she said. “They’ll throw together a bake sale and support you however they can. The environment is very family-oriented.”
As the organization has grown, she said you often develop close relationships within your department. “Our annual Christmas party is a family reunion of sorts,” Lorri said. “Every department becomes a family, and the party is a time to bring everyone together.”
Looking ahead, Craig hopes to see the practice to continue to grow and prosper. She feels fortunate to have spent the majority of her career at QMG. “We have a strong reputation of offering high-quality services to our patients. Our doctors come here and stay here, so our patients become established with QMG and develop a relationship with our doctors and staff here,” she said. “We have great employees who are dedicated to QMG, which says a lot about our company.”
Click here to read our first 1000 Employee Celebration story.