October 4, 2021
On Call
Submitted by Chris Boelter, MD,
Last weekend I was on-call. The census was high, staffing was tight, and the demand for our services was intense. Early Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to watch something remarkable. It involved the PACU team working with the house supervisor to accommodate a patient who was seen twice at Carris Health – Rice Memorial Hospital within six hours for an obstructing ureteral stone. Typically, a patient like this would be transferred to St. Cloud where I would stent the patient in the morning and send them home.
However, with bed capacity constraints this was not an option. The ER physician at Rice Memorial Hospital reached out to me and I told them I would try to accommodate the patient as an outpatient – admitted through the Center for Surgical Care and discharged from the same. Little did I know the center did not have the staff over the weekend. So there I was with a patient who needed care, wondering what I should do.
So there I was with a patient who needed care, wondering what I should do.
I contacted the OR charge nurse. The charge nurse, nurse supervisor and I had a conversation about our options. We explored resource opportunities within the hospital and when it became apparent that we were stretched too thin to accommodate this patient, the PACU stepped in and stepped up. They stated a desire to admit the patient through the PACU, recover the patient in the PACU, and discharge the patient from the PACU. And that’s what we did.
The outcome was a patient who came to us feeling miserable, but left pain-free.
I’m incredibly thankful for the quick thinking and willingness to do what was needed to help this patient. While I thanked everyone who was involved profusely, I also wanted to share this story because this is what teamwork is about. This is the type of care our teams provide. And this, in my opinion, is what accountability looks like. There were no grumblings from anyone. In fact, I felt a sense of pride from the team because they stretched above and beyond to accommodate the patient.
Thank you for being remarkable.
Chris Boelter, MD
Adult & Pediatric Urology
Vice President, Specialty Care
I have no doubt you, Dr Boelter, and the PACU staff had other competing priorities. How much easier it would have been to decline a faceless person, another “transfer”.
Yet to BE PRESENT there for this patient made the difference. All of us in the region struggle daily to find the right care for our patients. We call multiple hospitals, we have patients with fractures in our clinic past closing time with nowhere to go, we search for pediatric inpatient beds that don’t exist and wonder when it will end.
This level of help and commitment from our friends and colleagues at all levels of CentraCare is why we find the strength to persevere. One case, one person, one friend at a time.
We are not alone. More importantly our patients are not alone.
Thank you.
Remarkable teamwork is right! These are true souls coming together to to write a beautiful story. Souls that are shining upon us to help us grow together. Nothing is impossible when we find what is inside us to help each other. Thank you beautiful souls!
Thank you for putting this story to words, Dr. Boelter. People in this organization are stepping up every day to do everything they can to help patients; calling on resources they’ve never tapped, stepping outside their comfort zones, working together for the greater good. This pandemic is unremitting and unrelenting, but wow, has it shown the greatness and commitment of our team.
Stories like these make me so proud of our team– we answer the call and do what is best for our patients, our community, and for each other. Thank you, Dr. Boelter!
In the complexities, stresses, urgencies and hustle of our work, my hope is that we never lose site of our charge to “CARE.” I believe this is what has placed us beyond other healthcare organizations. This is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when people have an empathetic heart and CARE deeply for this suffering patient. Proud to be associated with such fine professionals that CARE.
Thank you Dr. Boelter, PACU staff, and everyone who went far above and beyond to ensure you could help this patient. I realized this is why you went into medicine in the first place – but your efforts during the capacity and staffing challenges speak to your dedication to our patients.
Doing what it takes to get it done… That is what it is all about!!! Thanks for sharing this story… great inspiration…
Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful story about teamwork and going above and beyond to serve a patient in need!
That is truly wonderful! Thanks for sharing that great story.