RESIDENCY CORNER
Russell Maier, MD / Program Director
It was a bittersweet graduation on June 27th. We welcomed our new class, advanced our former R-1 and R-2 classes, and celebrated our teachers. Neil Barg, MD (infectious disease attending) received the Attending of the Year award. Sara Cate, MD, MPH received the Community Preceptor of the Year award, and Roger Bracchi, MD received the Faculty Member of the Year award. The sad part was bidding farewell to most of our Class of 2009 as they completed residency and moved on. Teresa Lam, MD will be working in Vancouver, WA as a hospitalist, Judye Scheidt, DO will work in a small rural clinic on Whidbey Island, and Aaron Vawter, DO will join 2002 graduate Doug Dunham, MD in Walla Walla. We are pleased to have Mindy Udell, MD join the faculty here at CWFM.
This past academic year our class of 2011 piloted a single electronic device, a smart phone, in lieu of pagers and PDAs. As with anything new, there were some quirks. However, most of those have been worked out, so we have rolled out a smart phone use plan for all residents and faculty. This allows our providers to go from three devices – phone, PDA, and pager to one device.
Rather than a new method of communication, this is a modified communication. In the old days we would page, the provider would get the page, answer the page, and ideally connect with the individual who initiated the page. Now providers can be reached by text message, voicemail, or direct phone call. As with any communication, our smart phone use policy is respectful and follows HIPPA regulations.
We are pleased to add smart phone use to our technology tool bag. Our electronic medical record system, the patient tracker data base for our hospital services, access to on-line medical resources, and now smart phones, help us provide better care for our patients.