Swedish Covenant Hospital recently hosted our Physician Excellence in Nurse/Physician Relationships Awards ceremony. The award, pioneered and overseen by the Division of Nursing last year, celebrates physicians who promote positive relationships with the nurses through communication, collaboration and responsiveness.
After receiving 68 nominations for 22 physicians, four Swedish Covenant Hospital physicians were selected based on how well they met the above criteria. Congratulations to Ben Flagel, M.D., emergency medicine; Artemis Khojasteh, M.D., emergency medicine; Anita McCarthy, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology and Melissa Miara, D.O., critical care fellow, our recipients of the 2017 SCH Physician Excellence Awards!
The nomination forms filled out by members of the Swedish Covenant Hospital nursing staff highlighted many of the excellent qualities of the winning physicians:
Dr. Flagel:
• “Dr. Flagel provides a calm center around which the hectic work of the Emergency Department becomes manageable.”
• “He is a rare doctor that combines great ability with a big heart.”
• “Dr. Flagel is team oriented and respectful of nursing every day.”
Dr. Khojasteh:
• “Dr. Khojasteh demonstrates a positive physician/nurse relationship because she always treats us as a team.”
• “She pays attention to the needs of patients and the suggestions of RNs concerning patient care.”
• “When I see Dr. Khojastech in our Emergency Department, I know that it will be a good shift!”
Dr. McCarthy:
• “Dr. McCarthy fosters a true sense of teamwork on the unit, making the nurses feel that they are important in the patient’s care and management and that their judgement is valued.”
• "Dr. McCarthy demonstrates the level of collaboration for which all nurses and physicians should strive.”
Dr. Miara:
• “Dr. Miara is a champion for improving nurse/physician relations in the ICU by being an advocate for nurse rounds. She is wonderful to work with and always lightens the mood on a stressful day.”
• “She is open to discussing the condition of patients and regards suggestions from nurses with the utmost respect and consideration.”
Congratulations to all of the nominated physicians. Your dedication to teamwork and collaborative health care make Swedish Covenant Hospital a better organization and provide a great benchmark to recognize and strive for!
Thanks to the SCH nursing staff who took the time to develop criteria, nominate physicians and select the recipients; and thanks to Madelyne Trejo, director of surgical services, who helped develop and facilitate this program.
