Dr. Brian Wong, a Family Medicine trained physician with an extensive background in medical group management and organizational dynamics, and the CEO of a Company called “The Bedside Trust” was our guest at Mendocino Coast District Hospital for 3 days last week. He taught a program entitled “ Collaboration Begins… with Community Intelligence – Relational answers to operational problems.” During the 2 and 1/2 days that he was here, he spoke to physicians, managers and staff level employees. In each group he was able to demonstrate that “at our best,” we exhibit things like “incredible communication, common goals, teamwork, mutual respect, appreciation and preparation and execution.” However, too often we fall into a pattern of “being self serving, entitlement, lack of appreciation and common courtesy, ego, temper and blame.” When that occurs, the costs to our patients, our team, our organization and our community are great.
The solution is for each of us is to take personal responsibility to give our best to our patients, our co-workers and our community. Dr. Wong has created an acronym for the attributes that it takes on an individual basis. The acronym is T.R.U.S.T.E.D. It stands for Teamwork, Responsive/Respectful, Understanding, Safe, Talented, Executes, and Dedicated. 82 members of the MCDH family, including physicians, managers and staff members took a pledge last week to take personal responsibility, as follows: I pledge to become a T.R.U.S.T.E.D. Colleague, Every conversation, every time with everybody, To the very best of my ability, And to be open to feedback, positive and corrective, From any of my peers and colleagues, beginning today. I for one, feel different, after having heard Dr. Wong speak and after having gone through this experience with my colleagues at MCDH. I am committed to standing by my pledge and to lead the way so that every member of our MCDH family can reap the benefits of the “care plan.” In fact, we named the benefits. They include “best patient care, best working environment, joy and fulfillment and improved reputation across the board.”
