Balance Health and Harmony - a visit to Annette

I visited my Masseuse Annette for a much needed knead the other day and wanted to include her as part of our blog.

We forget the power of laying hands, as we get caught up in the science of it all.  I pay special attention to how a doctor touches patients.  I've seen Dad pick up a 70 year old man's necrotic foot with a gesture similar to if he was picking up a baby's foot.  I've seen Peter simply massaging a patient's belly because they had abdominal pains, no doubt the intelligence of his hands was listening and learning much more as well.  It is these moments that strike me as a moment where healing happens.  Gloves off of course.  Best practice tells us to not only to glove ourselves when we touch a patient but also wash our hands after the gloves have been removed!

I want to remind us all of the humble healing touch of the hand as one of the most powerful gestures we have available to all of us.  Be it just a reassuring hand on the arm to say you'll feel much better in a week, or a light pat on the back on the way out to remind the patient to come back for review in a month; these are the gestures that build trust and confidence between two people and make a healing relationship.

Annette has in the past run workshops for our group and since she was introduced to me by Dad I've continued to go to her for that healing touch.  As a relatively healthy person I don't need to see doctors ever - except for my daily professional life, but that doesn't mean I don't need my fair share of healing and restoration.  It's a bit of a buzzword these days "preventative healthcare" but basically it means listening to yourself and giving yourself a little bit of TLC before you reach the point of no return.

I'm blogging about this just to let all my staff  know that Annette is a tried and trusted Massage therapist that I would recommend to anyone and personally use myself.  She is based in Woonona and is just a phone call away.

Annette Robertson
Balance Health and Harmony 

4283 3449

Cast Outside

We are lucky enough at the Robertson Doctor to have a waiting room that looks upon a lovely garden.  Patients enjoy a view of the garden and sometimes the doctors at work.....

Here's Ben using the garden to his advantage to put a cast on William.

Julian our Registrar also taking a leaf from Ben's book . . . .

Implanon Training at the Robertson Doctor

We had a group of 10 doctors form surrounding practices in the Southern Highlands as well as Fiona, Ben and Javad all learning about how to insert and remove the subcutaneous contraceptive bar that is Implanon.

I was pleased at the versatility of the Robertson Doctor Gallery space which was transformed to accommodate a projected presentation and then practice tables to insert the device.

Fiona Ben & Javad

 

 Fiona & Ben

Annual Staff Gathering - Wollongong Golf Club

We gathered together this year to farewell the year of the TIGER and welcome the year of the RABBIT.

Looking back on the year of 2010 we can draw a few parallels between how its events unfolded and how a tiger stalks its prey.  Unlike our romantic notions of this powerful beast of prey a tiger spends much of its time laying in waiting, observing conditions, being patient, solitary, enduring the hardships of the hunt, taking risks and bearing the losses.

• SPC take over by Miliew in Jan 2010: This was a move to lessen the administrative burden of Sydnmind Pty Ltd
• Kali 1^st Anniversay Feb 2010 and is now close t celebrating her 2nd!
• Sponsorship approval for both SPC and NPC in the 1^st half of 2010 : this was an important achievement as it places both our companies in readiness to accept and sponsor Overseas trained doctors to join our practice.
• Medical Students – SPC has 2  and the RD has 1.  We have even in these times continued to share our knowledge and foster the next generation of doctors.
• Judy 15 years May 2010 – first day was in 1995.  Well done and thank you Judy!
• 1^st year anniversary for James & Family – 7^th Sept 2010 / James’ b’day today
• August 31 Customer service training – RESPECT / EMPATHY / RESPONSIVENESS / PROFESSIONALISM.  In spite of such pressure on our books translating into a more stressful work environment, we continue to value and develop excellent customer service.  In fact it's when times are tough that our true commitment to patient care is tested. 
• Eng’s father – passed on in Sept 2010
• Javad starts 29th Nov 2010 – just 4 months after our 1^st meeting.  Welcome to Matin his wife / living in shellcove.  Looking to do Fellowship!
• Kaitlyn graduation ANSTO – first class honours. Bachelor of science and Forensic science.  Last day tomorrow, Sunday 30th January.  Thanks for the past 5 years of service, it's been a joy working with such a bright your star!
• Bronwyn – whipple  on 12^th Dec 2010 – 12 months after her diagnosis.  All our thoughts and prayer go out to her and her family.
• Registrar Julian Northover –  Has joined us at the Robertson Doctor.  17^th Jan – 17^th July 2011

Looking to the year ahead we welcome a softer, fluffier year of the RABBIT.  Rabbits are peaceful vegetarians and they eat what is readily available.  They move with a succession of take offs and landings.

I'm setting my sights on the following projects for 2011.

• IT Infrastructure replacement and upgrade
• Greater managerial autonomy for each practice
• Greater resources dedicated to recruitment and retention of client doctors
• Recruit more doctors from UK and Canada or elsewhere
• Continue to fine tune our service to our doctors and the community

 I'd like to thank everyone who made 2010 the year it was, from our staff to our client doctors and allied health professionals.  

Here's to a soft, fluffy and bouncy year of the Rabbit!!!!!!!!!!!

Manjit's - the unveiling of the pots

Ceramics involves many processes of which we participated int he first, with our clay day.....after several other processes that Celeste and I carried the pots through to they were finally unveiled!

funnily enough there was also a drug rep dinner happening at Manjits that night so we saw Uncle Frank, Eng and Uncle Tony.  I bet we had a better time than they did..........!

 We all thought Judy had very nice jugs......

 Janice and Rhona displaying their wares.......

The lovely Lynelle humoring our childish glee at seeing our pots............................  We'll turn her into a pot head yet!!!      

 We all had such a lovely time playing spot the crack pot.........

Hello ..... what's all this?

Managing 4 surgeries and 1 art gallery I have decided to blog about it. They are all related somehow, mostly because I run them and staff move around between them (though not as much as me!). In an effort to keep the surgeries in touch with each other I hope this blog will give people a fun diversion to slack off at work and still look like they are working.

Running surgeries is about people people people, I don't care if you are a doctor, patient or receptionist yous all are PEOPLE!

Staff clay day

Of the 12 or so administration staff I invited, only 3 could come up to Cloud Farm Studio of Celeste Coucke and Stephen Fearnley, 2 local artist just outside of Robertson.

I want to make 2010 the year of doing more social activities with staff, but it seems like they all have a pretty full social schedule as it is!

We made 5 pieces each in the 1 day workshop and Celeste put them through bisque firing to harden them and then some were sawdust fired and others were glazed. It was a wonderful relaxing day and time seemed to pass very quickly as we all concentrated on forming our pots.

Ceramics has many processes and the forming of the clay in your hands is but one. Being also local to Robertson allowed me to see all the processes from how Celeste packed the kiln, to how the saw dust firepit looked after it had been burning for 4 days. I helped Celeste glaze some of the pots we made and also waxed the pots that were saw dust fired.

Though we all spent a whole day forming the pots, there were several more day's of work land processes that went into making the pots "finished". Many thanks to the amazing generosity with which Celeste shared her skills with us.