Caring Voices
by Jessica Park
“Thank you for calling Boone Hospital Center,” telecommunications operator Cheryl Johnson speaks into her headset, “How may I direct your call?”
In between calls, Cheryl, who has been with the department for nearly 14 years, says, “You get to know a lot of people around the hospital, because you talk to a lot of people every day. I don’t think people realize how many calls we get.”
In 2014, Boone Hospital Center’s switchboard received 544,291 calls, which works out to a call every 62 seconds for a year, an impressive number for a small team of professionals. Like the hospital’s inpatient and emergency care services, the switchboard doesn’t close for the night, weekend, holiday or snow day — it’s an essential part of patient care.
Boone’s team of 14 operators and two telecom engineers does more than direct calls and provide excellent customer service; they play a critical role in patient care and in ensuring the safety and security of staff, patients and visitors.
Marissa Rackers, telecommunications coordinator, lists just a few of the switchboard’s areas of responsibility: “We help patients contact their physicians. We handle helicopter transfers. We implement rapid response teams. We announce codes. We do overhead announcements.”
“I think of telecomm as the heartbeat of the hospital. They’re responsible for implementing a lot of our emergency procedures,” says department manager Joe Bayer, who also manages the Security department.
Telecomm works very closely with Security, the hospital’s Emergency Management committee, the Emergency Department, the Boone County Public Safety Joint Communications group and other local and BJC hospitals, in responding to emergencies and preparing for potential emergency situations.
The Best View in the Hospital
The renovated switchboard room, completed in February 2015, resembles a futuristic command center, with five 40-inch flat screens mounted on the wall, displaying information about codes, patient care alerts and the local weather; a clock with a large red readout; and meters indicating gas pressures and other information. From this room, the operators can see a lot of what’s going on in the hospital: screens with floor plans of the entire hospital locate where an alarm is sounding.
The room has five operator stations with comfortable chairs and new sit-to-stand desks that allow operators to change positions and move around while handling calls. Each station has two monitors, and the five on the wall can be seen easily by all operators working on a shift.
“With the remodel, we’ve upgraded a lot of our analog systems to digital,” Joe says.
The standout feature of the new switchboard room is an overhead light screenprinted with a photo of a blue sky and sunlit aspen leaves, as if one were lying down and looking up on a summer’s day. For a department located deep within the hospital building, it’s a wonderful touch.
“I feel like we have the best view in the hospital,” says operator Deborah Barton. “And the skies are not cloudy all day!”
With seven screens of information — and more — to monitor and respond to, Boone Hospital’s telecomm staff must be able to multitask, prioritize needs and think on their feet.
“We have to use good judgment,” Marissa says. “Every doctor has their own protocol for being contacted. We always try to follow what they request, but sometimes we might have to go against their protocol if it’s necessary to help a patient.”
There is a lot of information to learn and retain, and staff must keep abreast of constant changes in policies, procedures, hospital facilities and the organization.
“We know a lot. And if we don’t know it, we’ll find out,” says KiOntey Turner, an operator since June 2014. “We can get people the information they need.”
“Operators need to be caring and compassionate,” Joe adds. “They must be able to remain calm and make quick decisions in stressful situations.”
While they are not medical professionals and can’t provide medical advice, operators frequently handle calls from patients and doctors about medical emergencies. These calls require sensitivity and critical thinking as operators listen and try to understand the patients’ issues and concerns, to be able to assist them as quickly as possible.
“Sometimes we have to ask questions to direct a patient to the right place, when someone’s being vague,” Marissa says. “We don’t want to seem rude; we do it to help you.”
Many Voices, One Team
“May I have your attention, please …” operator Audrey Middaugh begins an overhead announcement.
Audrey, who’s been at Boone for two years, is known for her voice, and not just from the PA system. In November 2014, she performed “Let It Go” from Frozen at the Boone’s Got Talent staff talent show, allowing her to step out of the switchboard room and into the spotlight.
“I’d like to enter us as a group next year,” Audrey says.
Cheryl laughs, shaking her head, “Audrey’s our singer — not me!”
Telecomm staff are often heard but rarely seen. Even staff and physicians that they speak to often might not have faces to go with voices.
“I’ll go to the cafeteria and hear someone talking behind me, and I turn around and say, ‘I know you!’” Marissa says.
“People who call us sometimes think we sound the same,” KiOntey says. “But we are most definitely more than one person.”
Because the switchboard is more than one person, working entire shifts in close quarters, and handling situations where the stakes can very be high, excellent communication, camaraderie and teamwork are essential.
“If we get a Code Blue,” Audrey says, “we’ve all got to say right away which role we’re taking to get that code handled. We all take a part in that — and hopefully we help save a life.”
“We have a team that works very well together,” Marissa says. “It’s nice that we have good communication and get along, because we spend so much time together. We depend on each other, and we’re really supportive of each other. We’re all here to help.”
Support Services Director Myrl Frevert agrees: “I can tell you from experience that these individuals walk the talk when it comes to upholding our Standards of Excellence, with every call they answer. They are all very talented individuals who bring their very best to everyone they serve. They are purely a joy to work with.”