What was your involvement in the MSC?

MSC President, MSC FISH Chair/AD/freshman

What does a day in your life look like currently?

I'm still working in the hospital every day. I get there at roughly 5:30 a.m., and start checking in on the patients that stayed overnight. Throughout the day I take care of those people and try to get them home, and I also see all the new emergency consults from the ER. We have been severely limited with the operations we are allowed to do (only emergencies and cancer), but I'm still lucky enough to be in the operating room usually once or twice a day. We wrap up the day around 6 p.m., and I get to go home to my wife and little girl. I'm on call once or twice a week, which means when emergencies come in overnight, I am the one who goes in and sees them and/or operates on them.

The MSC helps build leaders by providing opportunities to improve skills such as critical thinking, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and others. What skills did you gain in your involvement with the MSC and how did your time as a student leader prepare you for your role during this challenging and unforeseen time?

Without question, my roles in the MSC provided me with the training, experience, and skills I needed to be a successful medical student, a successful surgeon/physician, a successful community leader, and the leader of my household. I received too many skills to list, but if I had to choose just a few to highlight, I'd say the most important are communication, critical thinking, and giving/receiving feedback. When you're taking care of patients, clear and constant communication is of the utmost importance in order to ensure the patient gets the care they need and to prevent mistakes from happening. I work with many different providers every day (nurses, medical assistants, anesthesiologists, other surgeons, insurance companies, etc.), and I speak with patients and their families; learning how to speak to each party in the appropriate manner and to communicate the pertinent and essential points is critical to ensure we provide good care. Critical thinking is another important skill I learned through the MSC.

Being a surgeon and a physician who sees patients in the emergency room means I constantly encounter problems that are not "by the book"; there's often not an obvious answer for how to fix certain problems. Thinking critically is absolutely necessary to help find inventive ways to attack those novel problems. Especially during this time, when resources are limited, I have to find a way to continue treating patients appropriately even when I'm faced with limited or challenging circumstances.

Finally, giving and receiving feedback (a.k.a. "constructive criticism") is a part of my daily life. We can't afford to make many mistakes when the health of another person relies on our abilities and decision-making, so feedback is an absolute necessity in a medical team. During this COVID crisis, it is essential that the physicians, the administrators, the nurses, and everyone involved with caring for patients is constantly improving the processes we have to keep patients and providers safe. We constantly discuss the strong and weak policies we have, the challenges we face, and the ways to improve upon our prior efforts.

If you were to return to your time in the MSC, what skills would you personally focus on strengthening, especially in your current situation?

I think I'd focus most on strengthening patience and attention-to-detail. Given the current crisis, we are constantly facing new challenges each and every day, and they often make our jobs harder and/or more dangerous. Patience is key when learning how to make thoughtful and patient-centered decisions in a time of crisis. Attention-to-detail is also absolutely something that impacts my daily life. If you slip up even the slightest (in the operating room, when putting on your masks/gown/gloves, when ordering medications), you can jeopardize the health and well-being of not only the patient and their families but also yourself and the providers around you.

The MSC core values are Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, Service and Diversity. What core value best describes the work you do today?

Service seems the most appropriate for what I currently do. Serving patients and caring for the sick is part of the job, and even when it may be dangerous or inconvenient to perform that job, it is my duty to see that it is done. Being in the service of others, especially when they need it most, is more rewarding than any payment or award or accolade.

What is one of your favorite memories from being involved in the MSC?

Wow, it's hard to pick just one memory! I spent many late nights up in the SPO (both at Koldus and the new MSC) with my MSC FISH leadership team and later with my MSC President executive team. Although it was often stressful, I'd have to say I really loved the time I spent with my fellow assistant directors in MSC FISH planning the first Kyle Field Day. We stayed up very late, were very stressed, and ate a lot of pizza, but it was so fun to, "run through the fire," with my friends and to see our efforts be rewarded with a wonderful project.

What else would you like to share about the MSC?

These are trying times, but the people that will get us through them are the ones who reflect the qualities that the MSC strives to teach. Those with a servant heart, those with critical thinking skills, those who are leaders, those who never back down from a challenge...they are the ones who will guide us through this time. The MSC has prepared thousands of servants for this time, and I know they are serving as a guiding light during this difficult time.

What was your involvement in the MSC?

MSC Wiley Lecture Series, MSC OPAS and MSC Town Hall.

What does a day in your life look like currently?

My days are variable. Some days I get up, put on my scrubs and go see critically ill patients in the ICU (some days I am on the Covid-19 team, some days I am seeing the non-Covid ICU patients). Some days I seem to be sitting in front of my computer all day on webex meetings, and other days I am teaching medical students, residents or fellows (trainees in subspecialty programs), virtually lately. When I am working in the ICU, they are long hard days, both physically and emotionally exhausting, but so rewarding as I have seen the power of all of us coming together to help a very sick group of patients. On the days I am home in meetings, I am also trying to keep my 2nd/6th/and 9th graders doing their work, as the temptation to play FortNite or Minecraft is strong. It's never dull.

The MSC helps build leaders by providing opportunities to improve skills such as critical thinking, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and others. What skills did you gain in your involvement with the MSC and how did your time as a student leader prepare you for your role during this challenging and unforeseen time?

In addition to what you stated, organization--both of time and function, people skills and manners. Oh my goodness--people skills.

If you were to return to your time in the MSC, what skills would you personally focus on strengthening, especially in your current situation?

Time management. Learning how to prioritize time for yourself as well as sleep--how to be involved, active, but not forget about taking care of yourself.

The MSC core values are Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, Service and Diversity. What core value best describes the work you do today?

Service.

What is one of your favorite memories from being involved in the MSC?

I have so many. My time in the MSC Wiley Lecture Series was incredibly formative--I remember the people so well (how many hours did I spend in Deryle Richmond's office??), setting up schedules and riding in the 4-seater plane with Ed Bradley, talking to Nikolai Shishlin on the phone, seeing the final program come together on stage. But other great memories of getting Garth Brooks's autograph in my boot, watching Bolshoi Ballet do Swan Lake, walking to the MSC from my dorm, knowing there was to be another fun project to tackle.

What else would you like to share about the MSC?

Being involved with the MSC student programs office changed my life. The community there was another family for me but also broadened my horizons and taught this small west Texas girl that there's a big ol' world out there with amazing people.

What was your involvement in the MSC?

MSC Jordan Institute, MSC OPAS, and Century Singers

What does a day in your life look like currently?

I am seeing patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 and overseeing the inpatient services at our five hospitals from a leadership standpoint within the Wake Forest Baptist Health System.

The MSC helps build leaders by providing opportunities to improve skills such as critical thinking, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and others. What skills did you gain in your involvement with the MSC and how did your time as a student leader prepare you for your role during this challenging and unforeseen time?

In retrospect, I realized that my education at the MSC was as important or more important than what I learned in the traditional classroom setting. The different organization within the MSC taught be how to follow, how to lead, how to be a team player, how to organize projects/programs, and how to get to yes.

If you were to return to your time in the MSC, what skills would you personally focus on strengthening, especially in your current situation?

If I were to return back to my time at the MSC, I would focus on how to communicate effectively in small and large settings as a public speaker. In addition, I would seek out mentor and learn how manage and lead people.

The MSC core values are Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, Service and Diversity. What core value best describes the work you do today?

Leadership. I spend most of my time when I am not seeing patients leading groups. Managing and leading are important skills especially during the times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrity. One of my mentors taught me that integrity is "doing the right thing at the right time especially when no one is watching." There will be times when doing the right thing will be costly.

What is one of your favorite memories from being involved in the MSC?

Singing in the Century Singers

What was your involvement in the MSC?

I spent all four of my years at Texas A&M with MSC Fish. I joined MSC Fish as an incoming freshman, participated as a Big Sib for two years, and then served as the Service Committee Executive Director and leader of the Big Sib program.

What does a day in your life look like currently?

A day in my life has changed dramatically just in the last two months. When I get ready for my shift, infection control is laced in every decision: scrubs that are antimicrobial and water-resistant; my face is free of foundation to keep my PPE clean; my hair is pulled back and tucked into a scrub cap; my wrist is free of the watch I’ve worn to the hospital for 7 years; and my phone is in a Ziploc bag where it will remain for the next 14 hours. Then I leave through the garage to get my nursing shoes and hospital badge. I definitely don’t bring them into my home anymore.

I don’t listen to music or podcasts on my drive anymore, as my commute is now the time where I steel myself. Sometimes, it’s quiet and that is welcome, because the rest of my night shift will not be. Sometimes, it’s a phone call to my parents, because the version of me that they see is tougher than what I feel. Either way, it’s 30 minutes before I’m back in the fray.

When I get to the unit, I get my assignment which is now twice the patient-load that it used to be. I get report and learn that all 4 patients are “real” ICU patients (ex: on ventilators, have multiple titratable drips, are manually proned, or seem unstable enough to require intubation before too long).

I introduce myself to whichever Clinic/PACU/MedSurg/OR/PEDI/L&D nurse has been floated to the ICU (God Bless Them) and assigned to me for the duration of my shift. I outline how they can help me get through the next 12 hours. This is a different nurse every day, so it’s also a different conversation every day, depending on each nurse’s skillset. I find a fully-charged battery for my PAPR Hood, which I will wear for most of the shift, and we don the rest of our PPE like our lives depend on it. And they do.

We dig into our work. The patients who are alert appreciate I don’t wear a surgical mask under my PAPR Hood, because they can see my smile. The first time I wore a PAPR Hood without a surgical mask into a patient’s room, it was an accident. My patient looked shocked when he saw me. Then he smiled and I could see his eyes fill. It occurred to me he hadn’t seen a face or a smile in weeks. I marvel at the little things we used to take for granted. I stayed and talked to him longer than I normally would, because I missed human interaction as much as he did. He asked if I have had COVID-19… I said, “Not yet.” He asked if I was scared of getting it… I said, “The only thing I’m scared of, is contracting the virus and then having to be your roommate because we are all out of space at this hospital.” He laughed, and it felt good to both of us. Humor was the thing that kept me from telling him about my history of pneumonia, and that I was scared. Now, I intentionally leave the surgical mask off, since it offers no additional safety to me. My patients can see my face and we connect better when we can see each other’s faces.

The patients who are on ventilators are difficult to sedate, difficult to stabilize, and difficult to wean. We do the best we can, thinking inside and outside the box. As a care team, we are navigating this new terrain without a map. When we are not with our patients, we talk about what new information we have read about COVID-19, which therapies seem to yield positive results, and what are the best practices (of today, anyways). We are learning new things all the time, getting better at our jobs and hope patient outcomes will improve every day.

I check in with the patient’s family to give them detailed updates, because it’s now too dangerous for them to visit the hospital. These phone calls take hours, so they are usually over speakerphone while I am taking care of their family member in their room. For the first time in my 7 years of nursing, families seem to understand how difficult this job is for us, and they are surprisingly calm and patient on the phone. If someone told me I couldn’t visit my dad in the hospital, I would want to tear down the walls. So I thank them for their patience, they thank me for my care, and I work to make sure their family member does not feel so alone.

By the end of the shift, I am tired, my body aches, and I struggle to find my words in report. The oncoming nurse is always understanding because we have never been pushed like this. I have done everything I can do for my patients and I pass the responsibility into hands that I trust. I clean my equipment. I thank my team. Then I go home to unwind, see the dogs, and get some sleep. I will be back again tomorrow.

The MSC helps build leaders by providing opportunities to improve skills such as critical thinking, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and others. What skills did you gain in your involvement with the MSC and how did your time as a student leader prepare you for your role during this challenging and unforeseen time?

I look back on events, projects, and programs I was involved in planning for MSC Fish, and the ones that offered me the most growth were the ones that didn't go well. They shine a light on areas that required improvement and those are experiences I still draw on today. I walked away from my time at Texas A&M with an increased ability to recognize when something is/isn't working and a willingness to adjust my plans accordingly.

If you were to return to your time in the MSC, what skills would you personally focus on strengthening, especially in your current situation?

If I could go back to my time in the MSC, I would spend more time strengthening my ability to listen to my peers and my willingness to receive feedback.

The MSC core values are Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, Service and Diversity. What core value best describes the work you do today?

Leadership is the core value that best represents my work on the frontline. I chose to be an ICU Nurse, but I did not get to choose the circumstances we are in. We all watched this virus make its’ way around the globe, but before it reached my city, I was not prepared for how it would affect my time with my family, the economy I live and work within, or my own health and well-being. No one would choose this version of the world we live in, and yet here we are. The only thing that I still have control over, is who I’m going to be in these circumstances. I don’t always know what the 10 steps in front of me should be, but I always know what the next right/intelligent/precise/lovely/compassionate/prudent (whatever you want to call it) thing to do is. Doing that, keeps you from being overwhelmed in a situation you can’t control. This version of leadership is the most important thing I can contribute right now. Coworkers notice and they can easily adopt it in their practice, and this is how we gain momentum.

What is one of your favorite memories from being involved in the MSC?

Anytime I had to wear a costume was always a fun night! My absolute favorite memory is running around campus in a safari truck made out of cardboard with my Service Assistant Directors dressed as animals.