Mocktails and Cocktails: Festive Cheer for Our PCI Colleagues
PCI is delighted to offer you some Festive Cheer by sharing how two of PCI coach grads, Dr. Sancha Robinson and Dr. Sue Tobert, are thinking outside the box to support their physician and provider colleagues. Inspired by a recent discussion on the importance of “getting doctors out of their head” and into their body and emotions, Sancha and Sue–both PCI instructors–penned the newsletter below.
While we have tools in our PCI Physician Coaching Toolkit that support “right brain” creative exploration, there are many activities that can serve this purpose.
Read the short stories below from Sue (pediatric cardiologist) and Sancha (anesthesiologist) to get some fun ideas.
Cheers for Wonderful Holiday and Peaceful New Year!
Sue’s Heart Cart
In Jan 2022 Sue and colleague Caitlin Manka RN started the Heart Cart. Once monthly this cart makes its rounds offering all staff within Pediatric Specialties and Cardio Testing a beverage and snack.
Some of the featured monthly mocktails have included OJ and Sprite mimosas, Shirley Temples for Valentine’s Day, Shamrock slush ies for St Patrick’s Day, and low-cal Arnold Palmers as the back-to-school feature. The snacks have included pieces of saltwater taffy, Kit-Kats and Dove chocolates.
The purpose of the Heart Cart is to provide a moment of connection in a time- poor environment. The key to the Heart Cart success has been predictability, something for staff to look forward to. Importantly staff are served in their offices or in the staff break rooms – the cart is never left unmanned for self-service as the interaction is crucial. It costs around $25-30 per month and serving 50 people averages 45 minutes, including all drink and snack prep. Sue and her team are expanding to other hospital departments soon.
St Patty’s Day Heart Cart
Sancha’s Anaesthetic Machine
In mid 2022 Sancha decided to create a Cocktail Bar from an old ULCO anaesthetic machine.
The machine started life at a paediatric hospital in Sydney in the early 2000s and was purchased by a local veterinary practice about 10 years ago. The vet’s wife is a vascular surgeon and Sancha does a regular list with her at the hospital.
The machine was decommissioned and had been put into storage in a garage when the anaesthetic machines at the vet practice were upgraded. At the beginning of the pandemic the anaesthetic machine was offered as a useful ventilator, but it was never needed and remained gathering dust. It was gifted to Sancha by the vet. It is cherished because it is like the machines in use when Sancha first learnt how to give an anaesthetic in the mid 2000s.
The anaesthetic machine remains in working order should it ever be needed. A bar fridge and sparkling water maker has been added along with some LED lights. A carefully curated set of bottles give the hint of apothecary.
Sancha hopes to share the anaesthetic machine cocktail bar with colleagues soon. For now, xit has pride of place in her lounge.
Learn more about Dr. Sue Tobert by visiting her website at https://www.