The UNMC Department of Anesthesiology held its second Anesthesiology Family Day on Aug. 23 at the Davis Global Center, teaming with the iEXCEL program to provide a fun and visual event that helped illuminate their work for approximately 100 children, spouses and other family members who attended.
Volunteers, such as CRNA Melissa Smith, staffed stations around the second floor on the Davis Center, using the iEXCEL mannikins and simulation programs to showcase aspects of anesthesiology such as spinal anesthesia, central lines, ultrasounds and other procedures.
“Our families can’t come into the operating room with us, so it’s cool for them to see what we do every day,” Smith said. “Otherwise, it’s really abstract.”
Smith, who also volunteered at last year’s inaugural family day, said the simulation technology at the iEXCEL program made the day especially exciting.
Rebecca Aron, assistant vice chair of wellbeing in the department, helped coordinate the event and staff one of the ultrasound rooms.
“We had great response. A lot of the kids and families really enjoyed it,” she said.
“It’s just a nice event,” she said. “People get to interact and work as a team, and we’re all teaching each other and helping each other out, and also meeting each other’s families.”
Jenny Patterson, wife of department chair Andrew Patterson, MD, enjoyed watching some children work with Katie Goergen, MD, to put in a central line.
“I think a lot of kids have no idea what their parents are doing every day,” she said. “I’ve never seen any of this, and I’m a spouse who’s been married 32-plus years. So it’s great for kids to understand what their dad or mom is doing when they go to the hospital.
“It also allows the different people in the department to meet each other’s spouses, meet each other’s kids and to collaborate and to build friendships outside of the workplace, and that’s important.”
Allyson Hascall, MD, manning the spinal anesthesiology station, said she enjoyed the meeting her co-workers families.
“I don’t get the opportunity to see people outside of work very often, and so the chance to meet their kids and spouses is always enjoyable. I like to see the excitement as kids figure out what it is that their parents actually do at work, since it can be difficult to understand and explain.”
Leah Evans, daughter of house officer Cameron Evans, MD, said she enjoyed the central line room and the CPR room, and that she had just decided to become a doctor.
What kind of doctor?
“An anesthesiologist!” the fourth-grader said. “My dad’s one, and I think it’ll be cool.”
View photos from the event here.