Our department first launched the Wellness Committee in late summer of 2019. Our first challenge was to address social cohesion and team building, and we began by strategically connecting events with our goals: to promote a culture of resilience and camaraderie through activities such as special events and other after-hours department get-togethers.
While facing the effects of the pandemic in 2020 and the need for social distancing, we resumed meetings via Zoom in the fall of 2020 with the intent of expanding our efforts and continuing to address concerns that members feel strong about, such as:
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Burnout
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Staffing and scheduling concerns
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Drug diversion and addiction
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Mental illness and depression
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Second victim support
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Mind and body support
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Call room and break room enhancements
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Healthy meals in the workplace
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Organizational development
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Financial education
Wellness Spotlight
Each month, the committee will highlight either a physician or CRNA. Read more about our past spotlights below.
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Lashon Warren, CRNA
Name: LaQueatrece Warren, but I go by my middle name, Lashon.
Title: CRNA
My Family: My husband, Michael, and I have two daughters, Ashley and Kayla.
My job in 15 words or less: To do my part in safely caring for patients who require anesthesia during their hospitalization.
Why anesthesia: I enjoy being able to meet the challenges of caring for a variety of patients and find it rewarding that I can help someone in their time of need.
How I stay well: I try to take time to care for myself periodically, so that I can find something to smile about even when I may not feel like it.
Words to live by: Treat others the way you want to be treated.
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Prentiss Lawson, M.D.
Name: Prentiss, but my friends and family call me PJ.
Title: Anesthesiologist, specializing in Interventional Pain Medicine
My Family: My wife, Julie, and I have been married for ten years. We have three children, Charlotte, Prentiss III, and Gwyneth.
My job in 15 words or less: Leading peri-operative teams to care for patients, promoting pain resiliency, functional improvement, and general wellness.
Why Anesthesia: Perioperative medicine, regional anesthesia, and pain medicine allow me to care for and serve others while having a rewarding career.
How I stay well: Faith, family, and golf or any other outdoor activity. I would love to exercise more but haven’t quite figured that out with young children!
Words to live by: Be present. Quality time is not spontaneous in general. You can only have quality time with others if you first have quantity time.
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Bradley Page, MSN, CRNA
Name: Brad Page
Title: MSN, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
My Family: My partner, Jason, and I have been together for almost 16 years. We met back in CCU at UAB in 2005. We have one fur baby, Noah. He is almost 11 years old and gets whatever he wants!! I have 2 nephews and 3 nieces, ranging in age from 8 to 21. My oldest nephew is starting nursing school with the hopes to follow in my footsteps of being a CRNA.
My job in 15 words or less: To deliver safe and effective anesthesia care.
Why Anesthesia:I had no prior medical experience to foster a knowledge base as to my ultimate career path. I decided nursing was a great route to get my proverbial foot in the door to experience healthcare. During nursing school, one of my fellow classmates told me her end career goal was to become a CRNA. After I looked into what anesthesia was all about, I was intrigued. I’ve always enjoyed taking care of the most critically ill patients and I feel anesthesia gives me that fulfillment everyday. I have enjoyed my career choice since day one. Anesthesia, in my opinion, is one of the best fields to practice in medicine.
How I stay well: As I said earlier, we have one fur baby and he keeps us quite busy. As long as the weather is just right (not to hot, not to cold, not to wet), he loves to go walking around the parks. Jason and I also love to travel. We have done one overseas trips with plans to do many more adventures abroad. Although COVID put a huge damper on travel, we still were able to sit back and plan our next big trip (we are driving out to Yellowstone this fall).
Words to live by: Treat others as you wish to be treated. You never know what someone is going through personally, so treating people with kindness and an open mind, even when they are testing your boundaries, can go further than you will ever know.
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Paul Piennette, M.D.
Name: Paul Daniel Piennette
Title: Anesthesiologist specializing in acute pain, regional anesthesia, and education
My Family: I have been married for thirteen years to my wife, Karli. We have three sons: Asher (10), Bryson (9), and Caleb (7).
My job in 15 words or less: Leading the perioperative care team operating room patients, acute pain patients, and education of students.
Why Anesthesia: I chose anesthesia because it had the perfect balance of procedure and medicine and allowed me to grow as the physican I always wanted to become.
How I stay well: Spending time with family and friends.
Words to live by: Every situation will either give you something or take something away from you. It is up to you which you allow to happen.
Contact
Matt Sherrer, M.D., MBA, FASA
Wellness Committee Chair
dsherrer@uabmc.edu
We welcome all who would like to contribute. This committee is open to all Anesthesia faculty, residents, fellows, staff, and our extended care team colleagues.