We’re excited to share a spotlight of Tim Crafts, a Physician Assistant at Children’s Primary Care Medical Group!
- How long have you been in health care, and what are your favorite parts about it?
I have been working in pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for the past 25 years and worked as a Respiratory therapist 12 years prior to that, so for a total of 37 years. Working in Pediatrics is unique as you are not only caring for your patient and advocating for them but partnering with parents/grandparent/guardians and foster parents to help raise the healthiest children possible.
It is not easy being a kid or a parent with all the challenges families are facing in the times we live in. It truly does take a village, a lot of hard work, a little luck and lots of patience and prayer to raise a healthy well-rounded child into a successful adult ready to spread their wings and be successful in life. Being in pediatrics, I think one of my favorite parts and one of the things I am most proud of is when my patients successfully graduate into adulthood and start bringing their children to see me. I am not sure if that mean I have done something right or I am just old but none the less I think it is cool 😊
- Can you tell us one of your favorite patient stories from working in medicine?
Wow there are so many it is hard to choose but here is one that stands out. I had a patient that I had been seeing for a while, but had not seen in about a year and a half come in to see me. He was very athletic but even though he was working out a lot and was trying to put on a little weight was actually losing weight and was feeling tired all the time. After getting all the information of his symptoms and running a couple of tests in the office what I suspected unfortunately was confirmed. I had to tell a young man and his mom that he had Diabetes. He and his mother were understandably crushed and he immediately burst into tears thinking that life as he knew it and had planned was over instantly shattered with one word. After spending some time with him explaining that this was not a death sentence and not an end to his athletic career, that there were Olympic and professional athletes, and many very successful people with diabetes that live full and productive lives. That if he took good care of himself and followed the program that would be given to him by the specialists and nutrition team that we would be referring him to, there was no reason that he would not be able to do everything that he dreamed of doing. After a few tears and a phone call to our Rady’s specialty team they were on their way to San Diego for a hospital admission, acute treatment, and a lot of education. Long story short, they followed up with me in the clinic a couple of weeks later and he was very excited and motivated about the journey he had ahead of him sharing with me a lot of new innovations with diabetes that I was not even aware of. His mother was also very grateful and thankful for the time I spent and the encouragement I have given her and her son.
- How has Practicing Excellence helped you as a clinician?
Practicing Excellence has been a game changer. The crazy thing is that Practicing Excellence did not teach me one skill to better diagnose or treat my patients, but it has transformed how I interact and am more present with my patient in the time I spent with them which has most certainly helped me become a better clinician and as a result has increased my patient satisfaction scores.
- Can you tell us about a time that a tip you learned came in handy, with a patient or a colleague, for example?
Wow again so many moments to choose from but this recent one stands out in my mind. One of my MD colleagues that I have worked with for several years who is a great clinician, diagnostician, and just a great overall person that goes above and beyond for her patients got a grievance from a parent and was crushed. As a dedicated physician she is unable to attend a lot of her daughters sporting events, but at the request of her daughter as her soccer team had made it to the finals, her daughter requested that she be in attendance for her playoff game. So she shortened her schedule for this particular afternoon so she would be able to get out on time and attend the game. Her last patient of the afternoon was late and by all rights she could have had them rescheduled, but as the dedicated physician that she chose to see them, fully expecting that she would still be able to make it to her daughter’s game. Well as you can imagine it was a patient that had some challenges and a challenging parent that demanded a lot of time and attention. As usual she went above and beyond to do everything that she could for the family, giving them the time and attention that the situation required. By the time she finished and got to the game, it was over. When she arrived and made eye contact with her daughter her daughter burst into tears and was upset saying, “mom I really wanted you to be here!” So now she not only felt like a horrible mother but when she got to the clinic the next day, she was met with a grievance from the patient’s mother basically stating that she was a horrible doctor and that she should not be practicing medicine. So now she not only feels that she is a terrible mom but also a terrible Dr. as well. She was in tears relaying the story to me and no matter how much I tried to reassure her that what that mother said is not who she is and that she is a great Dr. and mother, reminding her of just a few of the many stories of the lives she has touched and all the grateful families and lives that she has changed with her care and compassion over the years, it was to no avail. At that moment there was nothing I could say that was going to change how she felt about herself. I am sure we have all been there at one time or another. Wanting to encourage her but at a loss for what else I could say to comfort her; I found a Practicing Excellence tip that was perfect for the situation and sent it to her. I unfortunately do not recall the name of the tip but am happy to report that it was just what she needed to hear, and it was very encouraging to her. That is one of the things I love about Practicing Excellence, the tips are not just great tools to make us better clinicians but better human beings as well. They are not earth-shattering revelations but just practical heartfelt tips from people whose goal is to partner with us and give us tools that make us better well-rounded people so that we can in return help others be better/healthier well-rounded people.
- What new skills are you looking forward to developing?
My patience 😊
Key aspect of Patience:
Definition: Calmly enduring delays, difficulties, or pain without complaint, Featuring trials like tolerance, self-control and steadiness.
Benefits: Linked to lower stress, better physical health, improved relationships, greater gratitude, and a healthier mindset toward setbacks.
- What do you look forward to most after each week’s new tip?
After watching and applying any insights to myself, as a Practicing Excellence Champion, I look forward to sharing the tip with colleagues and staff and finding ways to implement the tips in my practice and in my personal life.
Nick Chicchetti is a Marketing Specialist at Practicing Excellence, specializing in developing, implementing, and analyzing marketing strategies and development of content. He brings over five years of healthcare marketing experience, and has a passion for driving change and improving experiences across the healthcare continuum.
