Unsung Heroes

On a recent walk through campus after a case in the OR, I had the opportunity to stop and talk with a few of our MUSC Engineering and Facilities team members working on campus. One of these individuals said something that stuck with me: 'Dr. Cole, I enjoy reading your emails and newsletters and learning about all that is going on – we are very proud to be a part of MUSC. Nothing against our awesome care providers, researchers and educators, but there's a lot of people whose work is just as important that never get recognized. Without our work, there is no awesome. Could you shine the light on us occasionally?'

In the days following that conversation, I started thinking about what he had said, how that connected to OneMUSC, who those people are within our MUSC family and what I could personally do to shine the light on them. So, here goes.

First, to those team members I chatted with that day, a heartfelt 'thank you' for your work (and candor).

That conversation reminded me of a story that was recounted to me by a senior staff member when I was a fellow at the NIH learning the fundamentals of research. As the story went, there apparently was a very well-known and senior research scientist who had a very large and productive research team doing groundbreaking research. One day a group visited his laboratory to interview him about his work. Once at the lab, they saw a lot of activity and ongoing work by many technicians, post-docs and students, but the research professor was nowhere to be found. Eventually, he was located in a remote corner of the lab, busy cleaning lab glassware at the sink. The reporter was astounded that this luminary would be 'hiding' in the corner of the lab doing work that could have been assigned to any number of students or support personnel. When asked why he was wasting his time washing glassware rather than directing the experiments, he replied, 'I know from too many years of experience that if the glassware is dirty, the whole experiment and results will be worthless. I have taught my team well and am now focusing on assuring success with the most critical remaining part of the experiment – clean glassware.' Oftentimes, the most important dimensions of a task are the not the most obvious (or glamorous).

We talk a lot about teams and patient focus at MUSC – and rightly so. But it is important to consider and realize that the team extends way beyond the obvious –our individual group or domain. Our Engineering and Facilities team member was on target with his comments – there are so many individuals working each and every day 'cleaning glassware,' whose work is vital to the mission and success of the enterprise and, ultimately, our patients and students. Without them, there is no awesome. To mention just a few of the innumerable examples of excellence across MUSC:

• The ORs will grind to a stop without a high-performing sterile processing unit – thank you!
• Hospitals, clinics, classrooms and labs will not work without dedicated facilities professionals and engineers working 24/7 to keep the trains capable of running – thank you!
• Our Public Safety, Hospital Security and Guest and Patient Services teams enable a safe and inviting place for all of us to thrive – thank you!
• Our food service staff members prepare and make available high-quality food that enables our patients, providers, students and families to function properly on a day-to-day basis – thank you!
• Our Admissions and Enrollment Services help to bring us the best and brightest students – thank you! Our Environmental Services team works every day to make sure that a clean and safe environment is a given – thank you!
• Our communications and marketing teams make sure that our story is being told every day – thank you!
• Our information solutions (IT) team keeps our digital transformation on track and enables forward-thinking capabilities for all things computer-related – thank you!

So, this is all about taking a moment to say 'thank you' to all members of the MUSC family who represent our unsung heroes. And I would encourage every team member of this very special place called the Medical University of South Carolina, no matter our roles or responsibilities, to take the opportunity to look around and embrace all of the members of our MUSC family – from Mail Services, Transportation and Parking Management to Finance and Operations; Library, Educational and Technology Services; and our phone and scheduling operators (again, just to name some – I know there are more!) Let's all remember to reach out and acknowledge the work of others, show everyone respect and communicate and support each other.

Bottom line? In a high-stress academic health sciences environment that has very high expectations, we can't reach our full potential in taking care of those we serve across our mission if we don't take care of ourselves and each other.