Today, the team will be light. Our senior resident will have meetings for most of the morning and the rest of the folks are going to have to come up to speed. We will see how it goes.
Dr. Mike
Today was another busy day, but not crazy. By that I mean that we had no major disasters and the team functioned well ... for the most part. The longer I do this, the more I feel like a coach. Our team includes folks with varying knowledge and skills that range from novice to, well, almost expert. Most have not come close to the 10,000 hours needed to qualify as "skilled craftsmen" and none are truly experts, or masters. But, then again, while some will achieve a level of performance equivalent to a master for a few specific procedures, I don't expect these folks to perform at the level of an artistic genius or maiestro. Geniuses are rare, and I can't say that I have ever met one ... in this arena ... or any other, for that matter. Many think they are geniuses, and that is a problem to be dealt with as well. But, since this team includes, patients, families, students, interns, residents and nurses with extreme experience and knowledge variations, you never know how they are going to perform until the moment of engagement. The start of each month is almost like July ... the month that the newly recruited interns start. By the end of their year, that is usually June, everyone has more to offer, but new folks on the ICU service are weak whenever they start and some never get it, so these folks are a burden and they need constant supervision. As we come to the close of this year and we get ready for the interns to start, we prepare for the worst and brace for more work, because the burden falls on the coach/player whenever there is weakness in the team. Patients and Patient Safety first and always ... that means we do what we have to do to make sure the patients get the best of care, no matter who is on the team. Yes, I have included patients and families in the team for years. That is a tough sell, sometimes, but these folks need to be engaged in the process, and when the patient is too sick to participate we need to selectively engage key family members. This is a must for the all patient care, but critical for the ICU! Dr. Mike To be Continued ...
Today was another busy day, but not crazy. By that I mean that we had no major disasters and the team functioned well ... for the most part. The longer I do this, the more I feel like a coach.
ReplyDeleteOur team includes folks with varying knowledge and skills that range from novice to, well, almost expert. Most have not come close to the 10,000 hours needed to qualify as "skilled craftsmen" and none are truly experts, or masters. But, then again, while some will achieve a level of performance equivalent to a master for a few specific procedures, I don't expect these folks to perform at the level of an artistic genius or maiestro. Geniuses are rare, and I can't say that I have ever met one ... in this arena ... or any other, for that matter. Many think they are geniuses, and that is a problem to be dealt with as well. But, since this team includes, patients, families, students, interns, residents and nurses with extreme experience and knowledge variations, you never know how they are going to perform until the moment of engagement. The start of each month is almost like July ... the month that the newly recruited interns start. By the end of their year, that is usually June, everyone has more to offer, but new folks on the ICU service are weak whenever they start and some never get it, so these folks are a burden and they need constant supervision. As we come to the close of this year and we get ready for the interns to start, we prepare for the worst and brace for more work, because the burden falls on the coach/player whenever there is weakness in the team. Patients and Patient Safety first and always ... that means we do what we have to do to make sure the patients get the best of care, no matter who is on the team.
Yes, I have included patients and families in the team for years. That is a tough sell, sometimes, but these folks need to be engaged in the process, and when the patient is too sick to participate we need to selectively engage key family members. This is a must for the all patient care, but critical for the ICU!
Dr. Mike
To be Continued ...