A Locum’s ScrapBook: Hospital 57
Editor’s Note:
Hospital 55 was south of the Savanah River, Hospital 56 was at a convergence of transitional highways leading North South East & West- North of Indy and South of Chi-Town.
Hospital 57 is the Mecca of all that is North– and is truly an amazing place to work. First and foremost- it is close to home, so I’m pretty sure most perfusion contractors- or Locum’s-would find that a pretty good place to be- close to family.
Maybe it is the familiarity to the area that resonates so strongly within me- I trained close to here- lived close to here- in multiple places and various hospitals that are like playgrounds we remember as children- so yes, there is a level of comfort in that, when you have traveled this far, this long, and have been a member of so many uniquely branded teams. It’s sort of like LIFE 360– because there are so many people that I am interacting with that have connections to places I have worked and/or people I have worked with 🙂 People that know the same surgeons and perfusionists I have worked with over the past years.
This hospital is a busy Level I trauma center that stands out for many reasons: The first and foremost is the the code of conduct espoused here- a certain sense of belonging- a lack of negativity- and the fact that every person you meet is very qualified to do what they do. My cohort of perfusionists- have what we all have: Intense dedication to the case at hand, the responsibility of what we do, and complete and total team work. We are a good fit- we all bring different things to the table- we all have 20 years or more. That’s some pretty serious experience to put in the bank IMO :).
The first 3 weeks have been a flurry of complex arches, ECMO, TAVR’s and not so routine- challenging operations that i feel are on the higher end of the spectrum of what most people would consider RISK.
The TAVR’s are a solid team effort. Minimal in terms of the number of staff- but it is the right number of staff. Extraneous conversation at a minimum- but it is very clear that every clinician respects the assets that each of us brings to bear.
These surgeons have the oddest way- of compartmentalizing what for most would appear to be exceptionally high risk cases in terms of anatomical complexities, and delivering them to the table as standard fare- “and what on earth did you expect” sort of finishing touch. There is definitely a flair of unspoken confidence- nothing really needs to be said- when the task is at hand. It gets done- simple as that.
The ECC and HLM are very familiar to me- so no issues there…
The EMR? Very very impressive integration- totally EPIC 🙂
A re-introduction to the meaning of checklists. Probably something I hate the most but as well- have been swayed to admire it. I have always done a mental checklist- we all have, But integrating this EMR into the equation- and the seriousness my colleagues attend to that, has nudged me to totally respect that effort. I’m impressed and embarrassed at the same time. Embarrassed because I do a lot of writing about safety- but this is an impressive re-orientation to patient safety. WE can all improve our practice- and being here will improve mine.
STS documentation is pretty solid- I haven’t seen the back end of it- typically where the difference is made between being a 2 STAR program or a 3 STAR program. I hope to assist in this regard.
The immediate outcomes are very solid. I’m definitely Impressed and glad to be part of this team.
A shout out to my new friends and Colleagues 🙂 JB MC AM BS MR
A Very Decent Crew…
There is a Kindness here that most places lack. What bothers me about that- is the fact that I noticed it…
Pump Strong…
Frank
