Link to my first rotation reflections!
Not sure if everyone cares about this, but I just wrote about my first impressions of my third year surgical rotation. Luckily, I am with a surgeon who integrates patient safety into everything he does. It is so refreshing following our conference to see someone outside of our little “patient safety club” practicing everything we hope medical professionals would! Enjoy!
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The Way We’ve Always Done It
Most of this post is a summary of what Mr. John Nance presented in our morning session. These are the highlights of his discussion that deeply resonated with me that I believe will stay with me and help fuel my motivation to make change in our medical culture.
John Nance stated “the most dangerous phrase in medicine is ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.'” He went on to say medicine is not solely a profession, but instead, it “is a calling wrapped around a profession with a purpose of service to humanity.” How eloquently and beautifully worded! Instead of cowering away from the charge we’ve all been given to tackle this mountain (pardon the pun) of a problem, we should enter our callings head-on with power and confidence.
For me, this means being a leader as a physician, but not in the way physicians are traditionally thought of… Continue reading
Proud, Humbled, and Somewhere in-between!
To say today was educational, informative, and life-changing would be an understatement.
Before the conference we were instructed that we would be introducing a fellow conference attendee at an icebreaking event. We were encouraged to email and get to know one another in order to provide a concise yet effective introduction. My partner and I had many interests and motivations in common- we are both from Oklahoma, we both are interested in mastering the skills necessary to become patient safety advocates, and, perhaps most importantly (or most movingly), both of us have lost a grandfather to an avoidable medical error. In our introduction we both shared this information with the group which I felt made the group more tight-knit because of the personal connections that echoed throughout the room- it seems everyone in some way has been directly affected by an adverse medical outcome. The camaraderie I felt after sharing… Continue reading
Gondolas, S’mores, and Overwhelming Beauty
I made the mistake of thinking that as a well-seasoned runner, the altitude wouldn’t dare touch me. I was wrong. It wasn’t a mile in that I started gasping for air and didn’t seem to be catching any. Apparently one is expected to ‘acclimate’ before these runs become enjoyable. This information was provided post-run, of course!
I knew Colorado was beautiful. I’ve been here before. But I have never been to Marseille. And let me just say- it brings a whole new meaning to the word Beauty with a capital B. Mountains stretch on for miles and miles and the view from just about any point is spectacular. I keep finding myself fiddling with my camera and my smartphone camera trying to capture just a glimpse of how incredible it is here, only to be disappointed. The lighting is off, the flash doesn’t capture it correctly, a gondola passes by… Continue reading