Womack Army Medical Center exercise tests doctor's patience
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WTVD) -- In real life, Col. Jeff Morgan is a good guy and a highly trained surgeon. However, during an exercise Wednesday in Womack's operating room he was intimidating.
"Are we going to waste time? How much time you going to waste," asked Morgan.
That is just the kind of talk Womack Army Medical surgical teams don't want to hear in their operating rooms. So, they are all training to be better communicators with each other.
"Often times you are in the O.R., you have personalities that are very strong, and it makes some people not want to speak up," said Morgan.
Morgan is Womack's Chief Medical Officer. He said teamwork and cooperation in the operating room is critical to patient safety.
"We are not just training the specialists and the privates, saying 'Hey you need to step up.' We are also training colonels to tone down," said Morgan.
Womack's operating rooms are among the busiest in the Army. With Fort Bragg soldiers training hard, broken bones, other injuries, as well as other procedures keep the operating room busy.
In Wednesday's exercise, the procedures and precautions were real. The tension and aggression, part of the stress than can cause problems.
"We must present ourselves in a manner that encourages a response from people that encourages them to step up and speak if they see something is wrong," said Morgan, who said it's about teamwork, cooperation, and patient safety.
"The message is that we have an outstanding team that provides outstanding care, and we are determined to improve any way possible," said Morgan.
