A ‘life’ in the balance

Today was the 1st day of the Telluride East Patient Safety Roundtable and Summer Camp! I am very excited and honored to be taking part in such a unique gathering of healthcare professionals. In addition, I look forward to learning more about patient safety; especially how to apply novel tools that will advocate change within my future work environments.

The first day was a great start in what is shaping up to be an educational, productive, AND fun learning environment. I sat through (and participated in) a whirlwind of seminars, which were engaging and incredibly informative. Meeting everyone and hearing their stories was also a valuable experience – in terms of networking, but, more importantly, in terms of making new friends.

In the afternoon, we broke into groups to complete a game of teeter-totter, which consisted of balancing ~8 people on a plank of wood suspended on a concrete block. The task assigned was to successfully get everyone on and off the plank within a designated time frame. The catch – don’t smash the “patients” (eggs with faces delicately sharpied on) located underneath the ends of the plank. Needless to say, my group and I killed our first (fictional) patient today. Overall though, the exercise was a nice team building experience that focused our attention on leadership and implementation of ideas. Both of which are critical qualities within the healthcare field.