Day 6: CAIHC

Today was another filled day! I have learned so much this week and I have felt more welcomed here than anywhere else. The community and providers are such a tight-knit group, I really felt like an actual employee. I’ve never felt like a nuisance who could not ask questions. I am getting to understand the flow of the outpatient clinic very well, and I just LOVE it. I have been a part of team communication, have been introduced to each patient. I have noticed how everyone depends on each other.

Unlike the places in Minnesota where I’ve sometimes seen the roles very delineated, that does not exist here. Everyone is floating on the same cloud. There is no, “I’m the doctor, you’re the nurse, you can only do this…” Rather, everyone collaborates and that is the only way things get done. This ties back to the principles of competition versus cooperation. The providers all coordinate, sometimes helping out taking another patient to lighten the load, etc. Today three nurses were sick and they were very short-staffed but you would have never been able to tell. They had backup already available who stayed ahead of the game and had everything prepared. There was no interruption in the flow of work, which amazed me. We had four people crammed into a tiny office working side by side and we made it work.

I’ve also been a witness to watching how these new providers make decisions in this practice when there is no clear cut “right” answer. Sometimes it’s a judgment call and they are difficult, but the providers think outside the box to create the most beneficial outcome for the patient. They consider what is practical and reasonable. Certain providers have different preferences and processes for different things, so they rely on each other for advice. Over the past few months, patients have responded that they are highly satisfied with the level and quality of care they receive at Chief. It’s great that they take the time to provide feedback to the center.

I also took a tour of the brand spanking new Chief Andrew Isaac Center, which the staff is moving to in two months—dental, family medicine, specialty (OB), and eye health all in the same building. The infrastructure is breathtakingly beautiful and is spacious and extremely reflective of the cultural in the seasons and colors and decorations (Dixie is taking care of the art). Everything is in relation to each other, so the system will be much more efficient, especially if patients will be needed multiple services at once.