Today was a day filled with a very wet 3 mile hike, more cups of Chai than I care to admit, and yet again another great day filled with discussions of patient safety concerns. On the docket for today’s agenda? The story of Michael Skolink, Shared Decision Making, High Reliability Organizations, and Job Offer Negotiation.

As with the tragic story of Lewis Blackman, Michael’s story is one that should not be squandered but discussed openly and honestly so that we as the future of healthcare can be ready to catch these lethal medical errors before they have the chance to harm our patients. The greatest distress from me during this video was the words of the surgeon as he walked out of the operating suite: “This has been my worst year”. What an insensitive and cruel thing to say to a family that has waited an additional 3 hours to… Continue reading →

Today was a new adventure into the world of how to better communicate with one another to improve the safety of our patients. From discussions of transparency, a game of teeter-totter, and a captivating lecture from John Nance there was more than enough material to fill every crevice of my mind. As I look back at page upon page of harried notes that I took about interesting statements, ideas for professional improvement, and negotiation techniques I find my self unsure of my abilities to begin the process of altering the attitudes of those around me when I return to my medical school.

I was reminded this evening that there are emotional and professional wounds that run deep into the core of the healthcare profession.  These wounds have, unfortunately, been caused by our own team players. As an EMT for two and a half years and now as a… Continue reading →

Marseille. The scenery and sheer beauty of this canyon town is enough to leave even the most verbose individual literally gasping for words to describe the majesty that we are lucky enough to wake up to every morning for the next four days. Even more so, I feel dwarfed and acutely aware of my mortality while bathed in the shadow of these mountains that have stood for thousands of years, and likely will stand for countless years to come. Ironically enough, I feel as though a direct metaphor can be drawn that correlates the uncertainty and timidity that every healthcare student feels when attempting to broach the topic of patient safety and thereby attempting to alter a system that has stood for centuries.

The largest hurdle to altering the course of healthcare in the U.S., as we are all acutely aware, will be to begin the process of communication… Continue reading →