 Provided by Clinician 1
My boys play baseball, like many their age. My oldest son was asked to be part of a tournament team of our local recreation league this past Memorial Day weekend. The “best” players of their individual “rec” leagues were combined into an “All-Star” group, which played against other travel baseball teams...including two other teams in our own township.
It was an honor for him to be asked to play in this group. He started baseball late...at age nine, after achieving Black Belt ranking in mixed martial arts. We have a rule that our kids can participate in ONE sport at a time...so he made his baseball debut much later than his peers. Therefore, he worked his tail off to catch up to the others on his team...and he has held his own. He is a terrific catcher. This year, he has branched out to pitching and playing third base.
So, if you are still reading this far, you may be scratching your head and asking, “what does THIS have to do with medicine?” Well...actually, quite a bit.
My husband and I witnessed other parents who, um...were not so stellar in the “good sportsmanship” category. Some were intent on tearing down others on their own team, the coaches, the commissioner...and others were good at self-promotion and patting themselves on their backs that they raised kids who were “so good” at baseball.
Meanwhile, the “rec” team players...who were not “good enough” to be on the travel team, were certainly great at congratulating one another, keeping up team spirits, and being good sports about everything...despite losing all three games. They showed better sportsmanship than some of the parents of the travel team.
It occurred to me that what we do in medicine is not unlike what sports players do in their field. (Except for the extraordinary differences in our paychecks...LOL!) Think about it. Despite what some may think, as we go about our day-to-day administrations with our patients, we really ARE part of a “team” sport.
We may “coach” our patients, but we function as part of a larger dynamic. We rely on our office staff to help us, from rooming patients to navigating the insurance company minefield. There are other groups we must deal with, including ancillary services, hospitals, pharmaceutical groups (dispensing pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies), collaborators (physicians and other medical specialties), etc. Lastly, we collaborate with our patients, and depend on THEM to get an accurate history to direct our care.
NONE of us practice in a vacuum. I would guess that none of us pat ourselves on the back, thinking that WE are “the bomb,” able to “do it all alone.” We ALL rely on each member of the TEAM to get our job done well...correctly, efficiently, and effectively.
Just like a baseball team. Are YOU a team player? Think about it…
Kim Spering is a family nurse practitioner who currently works at Brndjar Medical Associates, P.C., a family practice in Emmaus, PA. Her past experience includes the fields of medical/surgical ICU, open heart/trauma ICU, labor and delivery, nursing education, nursing supervision, and as a nurse practitioner in both family practice and OB/GYN settings. She currently serves as a NP preceptor for her graduate school alma mater, DeSales University, as well as for local baccalaureate programs. She is passionate about patient education and helping patients understand that they are ultimately responsible for their own health. She also firmly believes that the public needs to be educated on the value of NPs and PAs in meeting the health care needs of the next decade and beyond. In her free time, Kim enjoys family vacations with her optometrist husband, Mark, and her two sons, Matthew and Connor.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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