Back in Marseille and seeing the Lewis Blackman video, I am humbled by the strength and grace of Helen Haskell.  This emotionally powerful story reminds me of why I wanted to become a doctor and my ethical obligation to patients.  The risk and reality is that we function in a system that is task oriented and time limited causing us to lose sight of the person we seek to help.  Together, the attendees, alums, and faculty of AELPS will help to change the culture of medicine.

The presentation by David Classen was powerful and disturbing.  It is a story of how well-intentioned, highly motivated health professionals might harm a patient due to assumptions, biases, and trust in their IT systems.  Despite the  brilliant creators of systems, David reveals the absence of unifying goals and standards in big businesses that resist oversight (such as… Continue reading →

It seems that I am following Paul Levy, who is Not Running a Hospital.  In sharing his spirit, I am Not Retired.

My flight from Denver to Washington Dulles was late to depart due to thunderstorms.  We left at 10:30 pm and I tried to sleep, but was sufficiently alert to hear the page at approximately 2 am: “Any medical personnel on board?”   The flight attendant escorted me to first class where a passenger had what she thought was a seizure.  And she was probably right – only it was due to sudden cardiac death.  No pulse, no breathing, unconscious.  Male, perhaps 45 yo, looked fit, no companion.

The flight crew assisted me in lifting him into the aisle.  Because of their training, by the time that I started CPR, one of the attendants had the AED out and started handing me the… Continue reading →

Learning is a lifelong endeavor. Just like the students, this is my 1^st Marseille Safety summer camp. I have been fortunate to hear many of the faculty speak before and to see the video stories of Lewis Blackman and Michael Skolnik. Yet, each time is a new time – to hear what was silent and to see what was opaque to my mind. I know that I will never tire in listening to John Nance, Paul Levy, and Dave Mayer. As a faculty member, I continue to learn from these remarkable individuals. We learn: as students, as teachers, when we win, when we lose, when we’re happy, when we’re emotionally fragile, etc. Learning never ends.

 

Timeless: the Rockies. I stare in amazement at their beauty and their harshness believing that they have been like this forever (since I never took a geology course in college). All types of… Continue reading →