We’re delighted to share a conversation with Dr. Ann Beers from our partner organization St. Elizabeth Physicians, one of the oldest, largest, and most respected medical providers in the Greater Cincinnati region. Dr. Beers shares how patients have made an impression on her career and the ways she has utilized tips from Practicing Excellence content during patient interactions.
How long have you been in medicine, and what are your favorite parts about it?
I have been a practicing Endocrinologist for 20 years. Building relationships and trust with my patients is my favorite part of patient care. They are not always compliant with the treatment plan, but because of our relationship, they feel comfortable being honest about their struggles.
Can you tell us one of your favorite patient stories from working in medicine?
I have so many favorite stories, I am not sure which to share. One story that I tell often is about a patient who had long-standing, unrecognized hyperparathyroidism from an early age. She returned to me post-operatively after an uncomplicated surgery. What should have been a 5 minute appointment turned into something very different when she told me about the new shortness of breath she was having. Further questions led me to believe she had unstable angina. She was a 40 year old, premenopausal female, with no risk factors other than her hypercalcemia. I was new to practice and had only been in the community for about 18 months. I called one of the established and most respected cardiologists with some hesitation because it was a Friday afternoon, I was a new physician, and this was not a typical cardiac patient. However, the cardiologist was kind and respectful saying he trusted my instincts and saw her later that afternoon. He followed up with a call after he saw her, letting me know he planned a stress test on Monday and had sent her home on a beta-blocker, ASA, and a statin. Monday afternoon, he called again to let me know he had stopped the stress test and sent her for emergency bypass surgery. I tell this story often for two reasons. First, as Sir William Osler said, “Listen to your patient; he is telling you the diagnosis.” Her appointment was supposed to be a quick follow up, and if I had asked her to schedule the next week with her primary care physician, the outcome for her could have been very different. Secondly, trust the instincts of your colleagues. The cardiologist could have minimized my concerns and scheduled her for the next week. Instead, he listened, and knowing I was really worried about the patient, agreed to see her that day. This is how medicine is supposed to work, for the good of patients. Set your ego, your agenda, and sometimes your schedule to the side. Do the right thing for the patient. I will forever be grateful to the cardiologist that helped me do the right thing for my patient that day.
How has PE helped you as a clinician?
Many of the tips inside PE reinforce the way I interact with my patients. I can call upon some of the specific phrases recommended in the tips when I am stuck.
Could you tell us about a time that a tip you learned came in handy, with a patient or colleague, for example?
I really like the listening well tip that relates to repeating the patient story. I started doing this in my practice to more precisely understand how patients are taking their insulin. Not only does it give the patients confidence that I have listened to them, but often, patients will fill in additional details, some of which are extremely important.
What new skills are you looking forward to developing?
I’m looking forward to modules discussing physician leadership, especially regarding how to I currently hold a leadership position within my organization and we are working on our leadership skills as a team. I look forward to picking up tips that will help me be a better leader for my organization.
What do you look forward to most after each week’s new tip?
Listening to the tips and spending time within PE gives me a moment to stop, reflect and grow. As professionals, we spend so much time working that we often do not take time like this for ourselves. I find the time I set aside very valuable.
Now, more than ever, skill-building in healthcare is crucial. If you’re seeking support to kickstart your organization’s continuous improvement journey, get in touch with us now.
Practicing Excellence builds skills to drive outcomes in well-being, patient experience, and leadership effectiveness. Built for busy clinicians, our micro-learning solution delivers short, evidence-derived, video-based coaching to clinicians, leaders, and teams through our mobile app. We partner with some of the nations’ most prominent health systems and medical groups to deliver coordinated skill-building programs that provide measurable results. Learn more at practicingexcellence.com.
