By Joseph Chow, MD, President, Ambulatory Care
Because TeamHealth clinicians are seeing patients, we all have a vested interest in making TeamHealth as reputable and healthy as possible.
Consider some navigational math: if you veer by only one degree in a flight plan across the world, you will wind up more than 500 miles off course in the end. One degree does not sound like much, but if you compound this over a longer distance, it is significant. In a similar fashion, a singular clinical shift in the thousands of shifts within TeamHealth does not sound like much, but an additional singular shift contributed by all members of a team when in need can make an impact.
It is the difference in maintaining a schedule fully staffed with TeamHealth providers or piecemealed with locums. It is the difference in keeping the contract “green.” And it is the difference in being able to say you put your “regulars” out on the field to provide the best care for patients. Shifting one degree can also make an impact in life, whether it’s adding one flight of stairs to your normal routine or eliminating one serving of soda a day. These choices may be small at first but when applied daily can provide big benefits down the road.
My request is this—when your facility medical director (FMD) is scrambling to find coverage, everyone think about just one shift. While I’m not proposing your one additional shift to be during your child’s graduation, think of a time where the shift has the least impact on you and your family but has great impact on your facility and its health; your FMD will also be be very grateful.
Are you passionate about providing the best care to patients? You’re in the right place. Find out more about the opportunities you have to create an impact by joining TeamHealth.